A Triangle in the Stars
by Vampire Tails
Summary: *Collab* While the Gems are away, one day Steven "stumbles" upon a new roommate... his life will be turned absolutely upside-down. Rated T-
1. The Fateful Meeting

**A/N:** 3/14/2018 - as of now, I'm changing the formatting of earlier chapters to fit the later ones and fixing mistakes! hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter One: The Fateful Meeting**

It was late in the day, and Steven was sitting on the beach with Connie, smiling. No, grinning. He was in the middle of a story, "And then Lars said—" when suddenly the girl's phone rang.

She frowned, held up her forefinger, telling him to be quiet for a second, while she got out her phone, answered, and held it up to her ear. It was quiet for a while, before eventually she sighed, "Yeah, okay," and hung up and put her phone back in her pocket. "I'm sorry, Steven, I've gotta get back home for dinner. I'll see you later!" she got up and began to walk away, leaving Steven alone.

"Bye, Connie..." he sighed. His dad was to drive the girl home, which left him nothing to do. The Gems were also away, on an extremely important mission. So he sat alone on the beach, watching the water lap up at his feet.

A peculiar something, like a triangle of sorts, rose up on the surface of the water in the far, far distance. Steven somewhat noticed this and raised an eyebrow, but otherwise paid it no mind. He watched the setting sun, not wanting to get up and take a closer look. And then suddenly, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone again.

Steven drew a star in the sand, and watched the water smooth it out. He moved up the shore, so the water wouldn't wipe it away again. And then there it was again, sitting on the shore this time, behind the boy, with its hand outstretched. He moved back again, and, this time, he felt the cold stone pressing into him. He jumped up, "Ahh!", before he turned and looked at the strange statue. He reached towards it, tentatively, "Huh...?"

The statue seemed to be beckoning the boy, in a way. It was also very clean despite its travel. But, upon closer inspection, there was a large and deep gash cutting across its eye.

He touched it gently. "How did you get here...?" he asked with wonder, running his hand along one of the sides. He turned his attention to the gash, frowning just a little, tracing the crack slowly.

The statue didn't react. It was just staring at him, silently, that hand still outstretched. An idea came to the boy. He licked his hand, and then slapped it on the fracture, closing his eyes, wondering if it would work, and not at all liking the feel of it. There was no reaction for a bit, but then a golden glow filled the fissure. It soon started to seal, to heal. After a while, it seemed like the statue was brand new.

Steven stood, smiling. He frowned at the statue, "You know what? I'm going to take you home. Maybe you'll keep me company with everyone away." He shrugged and tried to lift the stone.

The stone wasn't heavy at all. In fact, it seemed almost as light as a feather. Then again, it could've just been that way because of the boy's super strength. He heaved it onto his back and began bringing it to the temple, careful not to dent it again. He eventually was able to bring it inside. He dropped it next to the Warp Pad, and rubbed his hands together. "I guess it's just you and me now, little guy." He smiled and went into the kitchen, intending to make himself some dinner.

And then... something started to happen...

The statue glowed rather weakly, the same golden aura that ensued when Steven healed it. And it seemed to turn, very slowly, so that its eye was now facing the kitchen.

Steven decided on the very fancy dinner of hot dogs and some fries from the restaurant down the street. He heated them up in the microwave, and then brought two plates over to the statue. He placed one in front of it, with a hot dog and some fries, about the same amount of food as on his own plate.

"I wonder... what are you, eh?" he bit into his hot dog, staring back at the statue.

The statue was still facing the kitchen, but it wasn't glowing anymore. Somewhat. It still was, but the light was very weak, to the point where it could barely be seen. Steven pushed the plate closer to the statue. "So... I don't know a lot about you. But my name's Steven. What's your name?" he took another bite, smiling a little.

The statue couldn't answer, despite how much the being inside it wanted to answer. In fact, it was trying to find a way to break free with that extra power it was given.

"Do you have a name?" he asked, sadly. He touched it again, gently, and the stone started glowing brighter at his touch, but it was still weak. "I knew a girl once—her name was Lapis Lazuli. She had a broken gem, just like you. She was trapped, just like you. But she got free. She's probably out there, up in the stars now." He sighed, finishing his dinner. He got up, and put the plate in the sink. He returned to the statue.

He noticed the eye had moved, and it seemed to be staring at the food now. Steven nudged the plate closer. He glanced at the statue's outstretched hand. He took a fry and stuck it in it. "Go on, eat. You can, right? or should I turn my back?" he turned away from the statue for a few seconds, before he looked back to see if it had moved.

It was still a statue, only the eye was now focused on the fry in its hand.

"I-I get it. You're just not hungry, is that it? I could just save this stuff for later..." he moved to pick up the plate.

And then suddenly the glow overtook the whole statue. Steven's eyes widened, and he stopped, kneeling on the floor now, almost holding the plate. "Woah..."

Stars sparkled in his eyes. The glow soon died down, revealing a golden triangle with skinny black arms, legs, a black bow-tie and a similarly-colored top hat. And a demonic eye, which was now half-closed. He was kneeling, and his glow was weak. He gazed at the French fry still in his hand.

Steven was speechless for a second, before he stood up and clapped, cheering, "I knew it!"

The triangle lethargically blinked, looking up at Steven, and then looked back at the fry. He soon ate it, and then gazed at the food for a while before he ate that too. All with his eye.

Steven chuckled, "Eww, what's wrong with you?" he smiled, however, glad his new friend was eating, however strangely.

"It's just the way I eat, kid," he spoke, which seemed to surprise him a little bit, hearing his own voice. He didn't even seem to realize he was free.

"Hmm... so what's your name? ...you have a name, right?" he chuckled again, "I mean, that'd be crazy if you didn't..."

"Of course," the triangle nodded slightly, which dizzied him for quite a bit. "Ugh..." he rubbed at his top point, "the name's Bill Cipher. And I bet yours is Steven Quartz Universe..." and he looked up at him again, "am I right?"

He gasped, and his eyes got all starry. "How'd you know that? are you psychic? ...are you another Gem?" the last question was a low whisper, and was only said after Steven looked around the room with shifty eyes.

"A Gem, huh?" Bill chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "Nah, but I'm something much better! take it from me, I know lots of things!" he still seemed to be a bit drowsy, but at least he was recovering.

"What do you know?" Steven looked upon the little guy with curiosity. "And how did you wash up on Beach City?"

"I know that your legal guardians are aliens from another section of the universe," and then he thought carefully, hand on his "chin". Truth be told, he didn't exactly know how he wound up here. His consciousness was limited and barely existing. Something or _someone_ probably picked him up and attempted to drown him for all he knew, for all he felt for a long while was water. Deep water. Bill soon gave up trying to rationalize it all, and sighed, not bothering to answer with such a humiliating reply.

"How about something I don't know, maybe?" Steven frowned now.

"Well, gee, kid, that's a huge category!" it didn't take him long, however, to grab something and pull it to the forefront, "but I bet you didn't know that those same legal guardians, with one exception, used to fight not for this," and he quickly mumbled, "lousy excuse of a," and then brought his voice back to a volume Steven could hear, "planet, but for their Homeworld. Surprising, right?" he grinned.

 _"Really_? wait... they're aliens?" when Bill had said that before, somehow it had sailed over his head. "They never told me that..."

"It shoulda been quite obvious!" Bill chuckled, "besides, I believe your dad told you a little about them, didn't he?"

He shook his head, not seeming to recall, "No. He didn't. ...but wait, how do _you_ know?" Curiosity got the better of him again.

"Like I said, kid, I know _lots_ of things," the grin on his eye was slick and sleazy. He stood from his kneeling position and started levitating. Even now he was developing a plan to backstab this boy. He seemed far too trusting, and it'd probably be the last lesson he'd ever learn.

"But _how_?" he asked again, frowning, not sure. Not knowing what the little triangular guy was planning. "You're psychic, aren't you? could you teach me?" his eyes had stars in them again.

"I guess you could say I'm psychic," he narrowed his eye a little, staring at the stars in the boy's eyes, "in the past, present, and future. And I don't think I can. It'd break your mind, the things I'd seen."

And then he had this urge to teach Steven, not out of kindness of course, but because he _wanted_ to break him. But it'd be all too quick. He much preferred the slower way.

"Wow... you must have seen some pretty bad things..." Steven proceeded to wrap his arms around the little guy in a hug.

Bill's eye widened with shock for a minute, before he then shrank away, getting out from Steven's grasp and looking fairly disgusted; him getting affectionately touched by a human was unthinkable, much less getting hugged. The urge to blast him was rising. He growled out, "Don't."

Steven stepped back, tearing up, "S-sorry... I thought..." he bit his lip, "I guess you don't like hugs then..." he chuckled, but his heart wasn't in it.

The demon simply glared. Those tears meant nothing to him. The only thing he thought was nice about seeing tears was the fact that they were an indicator of pain and suffering, and that he liked. No. _Loved_.

"I just don't like being touched by sweaty fleshbags... nothing personal," the triangle said, grinning inwardly now.

"Oh. No problem, then?" Steven smiled a little, wiping his wet cheeks.

His brow furrowed. Bill couldn't get it. He just insulted the kid and yet he's _smiling_ and acting like nothing happened?

"Eh, I guess there's no problem, kid," he replied nonetheless, but was still trying to wrap his mind around the child's behavior.

That made his smile broaden. Steven then thought of an idea, "Hey, do you like movies? or shows? I'm kinda bored, the Gems aren't around right now... no one is... so maybe I could introduce you to my favorite show!" he offered, smiling softly.

"Meh. Not like I have anything better to do," Bill replied, scratching at his top point. And it was the truth. He really _didn't_ have anything better to do. He was far away from Gravity Falls, and he didn't have enough energy for the long flight back or even a simple teleportation trick to exact his revenge on the Pines family. So he guessed he'd have to stay with this meatsack a little while longer.

"I'll make us some popcorn!" Steven rushed up to start the first episode of Crying Breakfast Friends, and ran back down to the kitchen to start making food. The demon floated up there and sat on the boy's bed, watching him work now. He then grinned and quietly chuckled evilly, his hellish pupil glowing a dangerous deep blue for only a few seconds...

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And there's the first chapter reformatted! I hope you enjoyed! I was Bill Cipher, and Ace was Steven and Connie.


	2. Monstrous Unreality

**A/N:** I just wanna say thank you for the kind reviews so far, especially to the Guest. I'm glad you think it's an interesting idea. It's only about to get even more interesting! so~ y'all ready for Chapter Two? well, I ain't waiting for an answer! so here ya go!

 **WARNING  
** GET YO TISSUE BOXES AND HAVE THEM NEAR YOU! and there's quite a bit of blood in this chapter too.

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 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Two: Monstrous Unreality**

Steven watched the popcorn pop, still blissfully unaware of what Bill was up to. After a minute or so, he came back up, holding the bag. He sat down and placed it open between of them. Steven watched the TV, grinning and getting into a prone position, "I know the show seems kinda boring, but it gets better as time goes by!" he smiled down at Bill.

"I should hope so," Bill resumed his "innocent" demeanor, eye on the television. He looked up at Steven, somewhat bemused, before he took a bunch of popcorn, ate it, and continued watching the show.

Steven ended up actually falling asleep before the end of the episode. The demon didn't notice this yet, having been partially sucked into the episode by mere curiosity. He ate some more popcorn, humming slightly. Eventually, it ended. Steven was snoring, sound asleep.

And then Bill finally noticed. He looked at the sleeping boy, and his expression morphed into a particularly monstrous one. He wanted to test if he had enough power to warp dreams into nightmares, and this boy had unknowingly provided him with an opportunity.

Steven stirred, but did not wake yet. He dreamed of Lapis, like he did a lot recently. Saw her in the stars, having a wonderful time. It made him smile, every time. The demon rubbed his hands together, and then raised an index finger, staring at it deviously. And then he touched Steven's forehead with it, and the crown of the boy's head glowed rather harshly for a while.

Steven watched Lapis fly up to the stars... when she suddenly started falling, a net enclosing around her, pulling her back to Earth.

"Lapis, _no_!" he reached out towards her, terrified.

Bill could feel this change in mood, and he laughed, withdrawing his index finger. It worked... and he was oh so glad of that.

She looked at him, crying. Water flowed freely from her eyes. She opened her mouth, and water flowed from there too. He felt himself begin to drown in the water coming from her. He couldn't move, for he found he was in a net too. He gasped for breath, reaching towards her...

The demonic triangle calmly and gleefully observed, content with how things were going. He sat back on the bed, legs crossed, humming a particularly dark song softly. And then Steven woke up. He lifted his head, gasping, "Lapis is in trouble! we gotta go save her!"

Bill promptly stopped humming, and assumed a look of condescending indifference as he stared at the kid, "Really now? do we _have_ to?"

He was wondering why this kid thought Lapis was in trouble just from a simple nightmare he induced. His nightmares were just that. Nightmares.

"I... she was in trouble. I saw her, she... she needs my help! if you wanna stay here, that's okay with me. But I'd like you to come with me," he sighed. "What if she really is in trouble, and she gets hurt, and it's my fault because I wasn't there to protect her?" he looked at Bill, pleading almost.

He rolled his eye, glaring now, "Honestly, I could barely care less, kid, but fine. I bet you're freaking out over nothing, however. But fine. Not like I can do much here in this pathetic excuse for a house."

The demon could barely believe what he was saying. The insults and indifference he could get behind, but outright agreeing to go with this skin puppet? it was incredible at its most fundamental meaning.

"Alright then! come on!" Steven grabbed Bill's hand and started running down the steps, to where Lion was resting. He hopped on, "Come on, Lion, we have to go see if Lapis is alright!"

The demon groaned at being treated like a rag-doll, but didn't protest. He glared at his situation. Lion was still asleep, ignoring Steven. He let go of Bill, and patted Lion, "Come on! this is no time for napping! Lapis is in trouble, and we have to save her!"

Bill made no attempt to help, crossing his arms. Like he said, he didn't care. Not at all. The lion's fur felt extremely soft though, and for some reason he liked that feeling...

Lion grunted, but otherwise didn't budge. Steven groaned, "Liiiiiooooon! I need you to help me!" and then he sighed.

"Tough luck, kid," the triangle chuckled, feigning looking at his nonexistent nails now. "Why don't you just go back to sleep? do what this furry bag is doin'."

It wasn't said for Steven's benefit though. He wanted to torture the boy some more, and what better way than to infect his every dream with nightmarish aspects? and, with how he was treating his dreams, it'd have even more of a payout.

"I... I suppose you're right. Lion doesn't seem too concerned anyway, and I'm tired... yeah, okay," he sighed, stood up, and began up to the attic, completely forgetting about Bill.

The demon quietly chuckled again, his pupil glowing a dangerous deep blue once more before he floated up from Lion's mane and followed Steven. With a snap of his fingers, he made the empty bag of popcorn disappear. Steven climbed onto and lay on his bed, but didn't fall asleep. His eyes were closed, however, and his breath was slow. Bill was impatient, looking at a watch he had conjured up on his wrist just for this minute purpose. He landed on the bed, next to Steven's head, and sat down, crossing his arms and legs. Steven turned to Bill, "Do you sleep?"

"Sleep? eh, no, not really," he answered, eyebrow raised with slight irritation. He didn't really _need_ to sleep anyway.

"Do you like watching me sleep, like Pearl?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah," he grinned. He definitely liked seeing pained faces when their owners were undergoing nightmares. Plus, he knew how uncomfortable this would make Steven, and oh how he liked making people uncomfortable.

"Okay. I'm okay with that," he smiled, shrugging. "Just try not to keep me up. Sadie's expecting me to help with some project tomorrow, and I need my sleeps!" he sighed and lay down again, Same as before, did not fall asleep.

This somewhat surprised Bill. How was he not uncomfortable? this boy was unlike any kid or any human he'd ever met in his life. Of course, he knew Steven wasn't all the way _human_ , but he was more human than not. He put a hand to his "chin", thinking, still waiting for Steven to fall asleep. He now knew that Steven had plans for tomorrow, and he now wanted to ruin said plans with his nightmares. It would definitely make for some quick suffering.

Steven eventually did sleep, but this time, it was a dreamless, light sleep. Bill raised a finger once more, and it glowed red. He'd infect him with the most vicious nightmares ever told, and, since the sleep was dreamless, well, then it'd be literally anything. The demon chuckled silently and touched Steven's forehead with said index finger. The crown of Steven's head glowed a harsh red color.

* * *

The waking world melting away, Steven soon found himself in a black void, one whose darkness was overbearing and suffocating. He looked around, confused.

"Hello?" he called, cupping his hands around his mouth, staring into the dark depths. Nothing happened at first. But soon the ravages of Beach City welcomed him. Dark red soaked certain spots, and a large, ominous, rather colorful X was etched into the gray and cloudy sky. The town seemed eerily empty.

He stared up at it, uneasy. "Hello!?" he called again, louder this time, looking around. "Is anyone here?" he began to walk around the town, troubled by the lack of people.

He soon glimpsed a couple of bodies lying broken, near the famous Big Donut. He gasped and ran towards them, "Sadie? Lars?"

The bodies were indeed Sadie and Lars. Intact. But fatally wounded. Crimson soaked the ground beneath them. Steven licked his hands, and slapped them on their wounds. "C'mon, guys... please..." he felt tears begin to escape his eyes, running down his cheeks.

It barely worked, but it wasn't enough. Whatever did this to them made quick and efficient work. The wind kicked up, gently blowing through the area. Steven took away his hands, and saw they were bloody. He fell to his knees, staring at them. And then back at his friends.

 _Lars isn't the nicest person... but he doesn't deserve this... and Sadie doesn't either... whatever did this..._ he didn't finish that thought. Steven didn't make threats, even though two of his closest friends were... gone. He started up, back to the Temple, hoping, maybe, to find some relief from this nightmare.

The giant X in the cloudy sky pulsated, and the breeze started to become more intense. He reached the Temple and knocked on the door, "Hello? Lion? Garnet? Pearl? Amethyst?" he soon hesitated, and then called, "Lapis?"

There wasn't a response. Just the wind very gradually transforming into a gale. Steven entered the dark Temple, looking around for anyone, feeling extremely lonely and unbearably sad. He wanted to curl up on the floor and stay there forever. But he couldn't. He had to keep looking. Find someone. Something. He couldn't give up on his friends now.

And then, near the Warp Pad, he found a frightening sight. His family of Gems, all of them, were shattered into a gruesome rainbow of powder. Lion lay unmoving on the opposite side, in the same state as Lars and Sadie. He gasped, when he saw them. He knew there was no fixing them. So he turned, and ran to Lion, licking his hands again, trying to heal him. The taste of blood was on his tongue, and he hated it.

Despised it.

He watched the room go blurry...

Tears were flowing freely now, as he tried in vain to save Lion. But for what? everyone else was gone... he was sure if he went to his dad's place, he, too, would be dead... not gone, dead... just like his mom...

Now he fell on the floor. Now he gave up, sobbing, wondering how this could have happened, where he could have messed up. The area then started darkening again, a sign that he was going to wake up very soon. The wind made one final appearance, wafting through the windows, carrying a deep, chilling laugh along with it. He shuddered, and glanced at the powder that used to be his Gem family. He thought he saw some blue in the mix, along with the white and purple and red and another shade of blue. And maybe some green too.

It got darker and darker, and darker... creeping up on him like slime.

He closed his eyes, wanting nothing more than to sleep forever, like his friends and family. Though it wasn't really sleep, what they were doing...

The darkness then consumed him...

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 **A/N:** I was again Bill here, and I felt so heartless writing out the environment especially. Especially with Ace's wonderful Steven-y reactions. I also played Lion.  
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	3. The Project

**A/N:** I'm back with Chapter Three! woot woot! I hope you enjoy!

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 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Three: The Project**

Bill was highly pleased with this nightmare. He lived and thrived on pain, fear and suffering, and this kid had a lot of it underneath his cheery disposition. He chuckled, and then floated off the bed, towards Lion. The demon realized he hadn't yet properly thanked Steven, and was wanting to rectify that.

Steven woke then, gasping, "They're all in trouble! Sadie, Lars, the Gems!" he hopped out of bed and ran down the stairs, over to Lion. "Hey, are you okay?"

Lion yawned, showcasing the fact that he was alive and well, but promptly fell back asleep. However, there was something missing from his mouth. Lots of somethings.

"Lion..." Steven sighed, patting his back, relieved. "I guess it was just a dream!" he shrugged, not noticing that some things were missing from Lion's mouth.

"Heheh," a familiar chuckle issued from behind him, "sure it was, kid!"

Steven jumped slightly, then looked around him. His eyes widened when he saw the floating triangle, "Oh! Bill! I'm sorry... I completely forgot about you... I had this really bad dream..." he almost teared up, just thinking about it. "I know you're not one for hugs, but I really need one..." he held out his arms.

The demon raised an eyebrow, but, other than that, ignored this pointedly. His hands were behind his back, and he grinned again, "I got something even better than that sweaty, sappy ritual!"

"Oh, really? you got me a present?" Steven gasped, his sad mood gone instantly.

The triangle nodded slightly, and then revealed his hands, unveiling teeth, with a bit of blood trickling from the roots of each. He grinned widely, "Teeth! straight from the lion's mouth! far stronger than deer teeth, if I do say so myself! and they're all for you, kid!"

Steven gasped, staring at them. "Y-you... you need to put those back! Lion needs those!" he argued.

Bill then pretended he was hurt, frowning and all. He looked at the teeth in his open palms, and then back up at Steven, sighing rather dramatically, "Oh, kid. I thought for sure you'd appreciate this!"

"I-I do... but you can't just take Lion's teeth! it's like if someone took your eye! you need that, don't you?"

The demon narrowed his eye, reminded of the time his eye got pulled out by the Shacktron. He suppressed a shudder, and then frowned once more, closing his palms for a while, "I do..." and what he said next took some effort, but eventually it came out, "ugh, fine, kid.. I'll return his teeth."

"Thank you," he smiled and patted Bill's hat. The triangle twitched noticeably, and, other than a groan, didn't complain about his precious topper getting touched. He tossed the teeth into the air and snapped his fingers. Lion yawned again and all the teeth were thus returned to their proper places.

Steven sighed, and then he looked out the window. It was incredibly sunny, and this made him remember something. He gasped, "Sadie! I have to go help Sadie with her project thing... you can come help, if you want!" he suggested, smiling at Bill.

And that's when Bill realized. His plan to ruin Steven's plans didn't exactly work. The boy still seemed as bright-eyed and as bushy-tailed as ever. Bill frowned with both disappointment and with thought, glancing around the house. It looked somewhat nicer with the sunlight pouring into it, he noted briefly and offhandedly. But it still fell below his standards.

Eventually, he decided, "Eh, sure. Why not?"

He figured he might be able to string Sadie along as well. The more people he could manipulate and eventually betray, the better.

"Come on!" Steven almost grabbed Bill's hand, before he rethought it and just started out the door. He would let the triangle follow him on his own.

Bill Cipher chuckled again rather lightly, but still ominously, and then proceeded to levitate after the kid, magically closing the door behind him. Steven ran down to the Big Donut, calling her name, hoping his dream wasn't real...

The demon was right behind him all the while, looking around at the town somewhat condescendingly. Steven reached the door and knocked on it, "SAAAAADIE! LAAAAARS! is the Big Donut open?" he then glanced at Bill, uncertain.

Bill frowned, meeting his glance and crossing his arms. Soon, there was a bit of an argument heard inside, before Sadie opened the door, smiling immediately at the boy behind it, "Oh, hi, Steven," and then she noticed the triangle, and raised an eyebrow. "Who's this?"

Bill Cipher stared at her, the frown then upturning into a slight smile. He was about to introduce himself when Steven unknowingly interrupted.

"This is Bill Cipher. He's a friend. He, uh, he washed up on the beach as a statue..." Steven shrugged. Sadie pursed her lips, thinking on this. He then continued, "Anyway, you wanted to do some kind of project, right?"

Bill chuckled dryly, slightly irritated because he didn't get a chance to speak. He'd get his chance, he thought. Soon, preferably. Lars watched them talk from his spot at the register, feet up on the counter.

"Well, yeah. We wanted to raise money for the school, with donuts. Sorta a fundraiser type thing. We were hoping you could go around and put up signs and tell people about it, spread awareness," Sadie smiled.

"Sure thing! I don't have anything to do anyway," he replied. He was then handed a stack of papers, posters, for the project. Bill eyed these items somewhat curiously. And then the look turned discreetly devious. He couldn't help thinking how he'd have fun ruining the fundraiser. Schools were meaningless anyway. Just like rules were.

Lars grinned smugly, coming up to stand behind his coworker, "Good luck, Steven and little one-eyed dork. You're gonna need it."

Bill frowned at him, his trigger finger again itching to cause some damage. No one ever insulted him and got away with it.

"Here, Lars, I have some left over, for you!" she handed him an even bigger pile. Lars promptly frowned, but took the pile without much complaint, and his knees started shaking due to how heavy it was. Bill laughed at this. Maybe he didn't _need_ to bring chaos down upon this fellow. The young man was already getting his just desserts. He was starting to like Sadie.

"Alright, boys. I'm going to set up a picnic for lunch, so when you're done with those, come to the pier!" she smiled at them.

"Okay!" Steven smiled and began out the door, cheerfully holding his papers.

"Gotcha!" Bill replied, grinning and sending an affirmative gesture her way before he followed the boy. He decided to humor her. Maybe he wouldn't ruin the fundraiser. But perhaps he _could_ scramble up the school. Yes... he liked this idea.

The grumpy teenager kept up the frown on his face, not wanting to speak, so he just nodded instead, stumbling out the door as well. Sadie waved them all off just before the door closed.

Steven pursed his lips. _Are there really this many people in Beach City?_ he wondered, glancing back at Lars with his stack.

And then the demon turned to Steven, whispering as a reply to his thought, "There really are. Fascinating, is it not?"

"Huh? but I didn't say anything..." Steven frowned. And then his eyes lit up, "Wait, can you read thoughts too? wow! tell me what Lars is thinking!" he exclaimed, excited now.

Bill grinned, and then metaphorically reached into Lars's mind to pull out something. He chuckled, whispering, "He's saying how much he hates this... and, oh, boy, does he have _quite_ the colorful language!"

Lars got the feeling Steven and Bill were talking about him, and growled slightly, eyes half-lidded. The demon ignored him, not even caring. He was far more powerful than that lanky fleshbag anyway, and could disintegrate him into mere atoms if he wanted.

"Oh..." Steven's face fell. He handed Bill the stack of papers he was holding, then hugged Lars.

Lars reacted far less nicely than Bill did, and he would have shoved him off too were it not for the large and heavy stack of papers in his hands. It almost caused him to fall, as a matter of fact, and he struggled to keep his balance, "Gruh! Steven!"

The demon watched this, scrambling not to drop the posters. He was once again baffled by Steven. He figured the boy would laugh along with him, but instead...

Bill sighed quietly, growing a third arm for a bit to rub at his top point. He just couldn't _get it_...

"Oh! I'm... I'm sorry..." Steven backed away, uncertain now. He glanced at Bill. "You too, I'm sorry... I must have startled both of you..." his cheeks turned red.

Lars grumbled, "You're lucky you didn't make me drop this."

Bill said nothing for a minute, still thinking, but his eye was no longer wide. It was half-closed with seeming boredom, but it was actually because he was deeply pondering about this, about Steven's "in"-human behavior. Like before, however, it didn't last. The triangle simply shrugged, covering up his surprise, "Eh. Not really. Don't worry about it," and then he made the papers float around him so he wouldn't have to carry them.

"Wow..." Steven was dully awed by Bill's abilities once again. "You're amazing!" he almost hugged Bill again, but stopped himself.

The demon chuckled, "Why, thank you!"

Lars's frown deepened. He was impressed, to say the least, but figured he should have some help too. He then thought of something. He put up a friendly smile, "Hey, Bill!"

The triangle looked at him, eyebrow raised. The young man continued, "Think you could help a guy out?"

Bill saw straight through this act. He knew Lars didn't like him, and, well, he didn't like Lars either, especially _because_ of that insult. But he accepted, "Of course!" and grinned particularly maliciously, but this went unnoticed.

He held out his palm, focusing on the papers Lars was carrying. They started floating around the guy, but at the same time a stable, small raincloud formed above his head as the papers started circling that. Lars was none the wiser, smiling now rather smugly and looking at Steven with his arms crossed.

The boy, however, barely noticed. He kept walking. Lars, eyebrow raised, and Bill, chuckling, followed him, and that raincloud was still above the young man, ready to strike at a moment's notice. All Lars seemed to notice was how dark it got, but that didn't erase the smug off his face.

Steven frowned, "So, Bill, where are you from...?" he glanced at the triangle.

Bill looked at Steven, humming slightly as he magically took one of his posters and plastered it onto a nearby pole they were passing. And then he looked at Lars. How he _hated_ him. The demon returned his gaze to the boy, rethinking telling him now, and replied, "I'll tell ya when we're alone."

Lars scoffed. He really wanted to hear, if only for blackmail purposes, not realizing the triangle could kill him if he wanted. He remained silent nonetheless, not even bothering to look up.

"When we're alone? why? why not now?" Steven was a dead cat.

Bill frowned, and was about to pointedly glance Lars's way when the aforementioned spoke up, smugly, "Yeah, why not now? or are you scared?"

The demon scoffed, crossing his arms, "I'm not scared!"

"Then tell it!" Lars demanded, "or I'll call you a dork again."

Bill rolled his eye. This kid really didn't know who he was messing with.

"Yeah, Bill. I'll tell you something really embarrassing about me! or if it's sad, something really sad! but... you probably already know anyway..." Steven frowned.

"Eh... I'd rather not. It's something _really_ personal, kid, and blabbermouth here might blab it out," he pointedly glanced at Lars this time, but it and the insult went unnoticed by the target himself, who laughed in Bill's face.

"I knew it! you're a chicken! a dorky chicken!" he smirked, hands on his hips. And then the demon's eye flashed for a split second that deep blue again as it narrowed. At that moment, the raincloud activated and it zapped the young man's ear.

"OH, OW! THAT HURT!" Lars cried out, jumping slightly and grabbing his ear. It started pouring rain on him from then on, just to rub salt in the wound, and his clothes were now absolutely soaked. He groaned once the pain subsided, hidden tears in his eyes.

The demon simply smirked just as smugly as Lars had earlier, if not more, much to the young man's dismay. Honestly, he was lucky Bill hadn't done more to him. _Very_ lucky.

"Biiiiiillllllllll!" Steven complained. "Why do you keep hurting people? first you take Lion's teeth, then you shock Lars!" he looked at Bill, almost pleading.

The demon turned and raised an eyebrow at Steven, hands on his "hips", "Oh, please, spare me the sap, kid! Lars deserved that. You can't tell me otherwise."

Plus, it was a game to him. It was _fun_ to him. But he wouldn't tell Steven that. The less the boy truly knew about his true colors, the better. Lars kept quiet, and looked up, finally. He saw the papers, and sighed. At least they were still dry.

"No, he didn't. Sure, he's mean to people sometimes, but he makes up for it with kindness underneath! he's not a bad guy..." Steven sighed.

Once again, Bill was baffled, only slightly this time though. His brow furrowed as he once again tried to wrap his mind around this behavior. How could Steven say this? how could he not say Lars deserved this? he soon groaned, and waved a dismissive hand, crossing his arms, "Eh. Sure... sure he isn't."

Lars himself was touched, but confused. All he did since they met was be a jerk to Steven, and yet he was standing up for him? he frowned. The rain pelting his skin didn't matter anymore.

Steven sighed once more, "I'm going to the pier. You two... please try not to kill each other while I'm gone." He then ducked out and started towards the beach, to the pier where Sadie would be meeting them.

The demon and Lars watched Steven fade from their sight. Before they then glared at each other briefly, and then silently set to work stapling the posters around town fairly quickly, shooting each other death glares from time to time.

* * *

 **A/N:** Heh, typical Bill, huh?  
Once again, I hope you enjoyed this one! I'll say this, I'm Bill throughout this entire run. And Ace is Steven throughout her entire run. :3  
I was also Sadie for her first line, afterwards Ace took the role, and I was Lars throughout this entire chapter. I hope I pulled him off well. Please review. I really appreciate reviews. :3


	4. A Glimpse Underneath the Mask

**A/N:** Hello, boys and girls! ladies and gentlemen! and all other folk from across the board! today I bring to you another Steven Falls chapter! give it up for Chapter Four, everybody! I hope you all enjoy it!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Four: A Glimpse Underneath the Mask**

Sadie was sitting on a blanket at the pier, still kinda setting up the picnic. She heard some footsteps against the grass, looked up and noticed Steven, and smiled, "Oh, hey, Steven." She then looked confused when she didn't see her coworker or Steven's new friend, and asked, eyebrow raised, "Where's Lars and Bill?"

"They're still putting up posters and giving out flyers. I... I wanted to help you," Steven offered, smiling. "And also... I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh. I see. And thank you," she smiled back, and then tilted her head. "About what? or who?" She had this small inkling that he wanted to talk about Bill Cipher.

What he said next confirmed it. "My friend. Bill. He's... well... I don't know what to think of him. He's cool, but weird," he shrugged. "He made it rain on Lars, too."

"So he did," Sadie couldn't help smirking at this. She, moreover, turned out to be right. But, despite what Steven was saying, she could tell something was wrong. She frowned a little, "What's wrong though? you have that face on.."

"Bill is... strange. He knows all sorts of weird things, and he stole Lion's teeth and tried to give them to me as presents."

Her eyes widened, "That really _is_ strange.." she got up and started setting out the other blankets, thinking about the weird triangle. "And you said he washed up here?"

"Yeah, as a statue! he didn't glow or even talk for a while. He had a cut across his eye... so I took him in. I know, it seems kinda foolish, but the Gems aren't there, and... yeah..."

Sadie sighed, "You're doing the right thing... I guess... but be careful, okay, Steven? something about him rubs me the wrong way..." she was halfway finished with laying out the blankets at this point.

Steven frowned, thinking on this for a while, before he decided to save that thinking for later. "You need any help with that?" he reached forward to help her.

She smiled, "Yeah. Thank you."

But she couldn't stop thinking about Bill. She hoped nothing bad would come of this...

* * *

Bill had dispelled the rain, for the most part. It was still sprinkling on Lars. He didn't want the posters to get really wet, after all, only because he wanted to humor Sadie. He otherwise couldn't care less about this whole thing.

He magically took some more posters and plastered them on poles, walls, and other upright objects. Lars looked over, seeing the papers diminishing in number. He smirked a little. The demon glanced over at Lars, frowning slightly, before he looked across the town again. The one good thing he could say about this town was that it wasn't a stupid hick town like Gravity Falls was. People here were actually competent, and that was just him feeling their auras.

Lars walked steady, crossing his arms. Smiling at some people as he walked, trying to look cool, to put on that big bully act that he always did. He glanced at Bill, who was kinds cramping his style, "Hey, can't you actually look like something normal, maybe?"

Bill shot him a glare, stapling more posters up, "Heh, like I'd ever do anything for you. I know what you _really_ want. Besides, I don't want to form into some sweaty skin puppet."

"Whatever," Lars shrugged, but couldn't resist to add, "but you're still a one-eyed dork."

"Don't make me shock you again, kid. Cause I'll do it," the demon threatened, gesturing to the raincloud still above Lars's head.

Lars looked up, a little fearful for a second. He bit his lip, "Fine, whatever." He rolled his eyes and looked away from the triangle. The demon saw that fearful expression and grinned, but said nothing. He offhandedly wondered why Lars wasn't dead where he stood after all this time. It wasn't like he cared or anything.

He sent several more papers flying towards a separate set of walls and poles. He made a slight point about barely talking to anyone, except Lars, here. He just didn't quite feel like it yet. Lars completely ignored Bill, and walked a bit ahead of him, to give the illusion that they weren't travelling together. The demon noticed, and casually levitated next to him again. He chuckled mischievously, keeping an eye on the dwindling pile of papers from time to time too. Every time Bill tried to float next to him, Lars would slow down or speed up in an attempt to rid himself of the nacho. Usually the former.

"You can't keep away from me, kid! I'm onto you!" and then he caught up somehow and latched onto Lars's arm. He grinned up at him, "Besides, we're supposed to be working together."

"Yeah, well, you're throwing off my groove!" he snapped, glaring down at the dorito. "Get off me! you're almost as clingy as Steven!" he tried to literally throw Bill off his arm, shaking it as hard and as fast as he could.

Bill laughed, hanging on. As much as he detested this physical contact, the enjoyment of getting under a person's skin and making them as uncomfortable as possible took precedence.

"I don't think you'll want to do that, donut boy... if you throw me off, you're as good as maimed."

And then suddenly that raincloud got darker. Lars groaned, "You know what? fine. Let's get this over with already!" he started to walk faster, on the side of the sidewalk Bill was on, so no one would see him.

"Good," he grinned, and then frowned. "Trust me, I don't like working with you either. The quicker we get this done, the sooner we can part ways after the picnic. But I can't promise you won't see me again."

He took more papers and tossed them at the walls, each of them magically stapling. A few almost hit a passing human, but he hardly cared about that. Besides, it was all about raising awareness, and, if it took getting a poster stapled to a part of your body, then that's what it took.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, that's that! this time, I was Sadie, and Ace was Lars. And I took Bill, and she took Steven, just in case you all forgot. I hope you enjoyed. X3 And, by the by, I'm starving for some discussion... so if you could leave a lengthy review I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!


	5. The Picnic

**A/N:** Once again, thank you all for the wondrous reviews and favorites and follows! I'm glad you're all enjoying this collab story! Ace and I sure as hell are having fun RPing it!  
Now, a couple of guests reviewed the previous chapter, so since I can't reply directly, I'll just do it like this.

/Guest: Thank you so much! well, you wait no longer. The next chapter is here~  
/PockyWonderful: Thank you! I'm really glad you are. And the "nacho" part was Ace's idea. XP Glad we managed to make you laugh!

And, with that said, read on, fellow writers and readers. Read on!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Five: The Picnic**

Steven and his friend finished setting everything up. He was watching the ocean, the waves, as they came and went. Waiting for Bill and Lars, and also thinking he should go check on them. Sadie was also watching the waves, every now and then turning to look at the town and checking on the lunches.

"If they don't hurry up, it's gonna get kinda cold," she was referring to the food, but, of course, Beach City was also known for getting chilly at evenings and at night, because they were near water.

"D'you think they killed each other? should I go check on them?" he was uneasy, fidgeting on the blanket.

"I hope not... and yeah, you should," she answered, looking just as uncomfortable with the fact. Lars didn't deserve death, no matter how mean he could be. And neither did Steven's new friend, even if he had this... _disconcerting_... air about him. Steven got up, sighing, and began back into town, calling their names whilst cupping his hands.

Bill heard Steven, and angled his eye in that direction. Lars was too busy sulking to pay much attention. They were _almost_ done handing out fliers and putting up the posters. They only had about five left. Steven waved, "You guys done yet?"

The triangle waved back, smiling now, pulling away from Lars and hoping the boy didn't see. He replied, "Nah, kid. We only have about five more of these... fundraiser... dealios."

Bill seemed confused now, as he eyed these posters and fliers once more. He was confused about charity. Fleshbags giving to fleshbags... but expecting _nothing_ in return? it seemed idiotic and counterproductive to him. But he soon pushed that aside and hid it like the con artist he was.

Lars, despite the relief that they were almost done and that the triangle had stopped clinging to him, grew sick to his stomach. He had seen a small glimpse of Bill's nature underneath that innocent facade he put up, and got even sicker because this creature seemed able to switch between the front and _that_ at the drop of a hat. But he hadn't the heart, the bravery, nor the care to tell Steven, which was, unbeknownst, to him, exactly what the demon wanted. Instead, he simply nodded in agreement, "Yeah."

Steven smiled and began towards them, "Sadie and I finished setting up the picnic. We're waiting for you, and the food's getting cold!"

"Well well well, that's good to hear," Bill chuckled. "We'll finish up quickly then!"

And then Lars plucked a few papers and rushed off to hand them to people, still acting cool. He came back moments later before Bill could do anything. The boy started leading them back, "C'mon, guys!"

"Oooh, so we're finished early, eh? great!" the demon grinned. He was getting fairly tired of this, to be honest. Lars made it no better, even if he _was_ fun to mess with. He carelessly did away with the last couple of posters and followed Steven, rubbing his hands together. He couldn't wait to try more human food. Lars sighed of relief, but also out of anguish, and sauntered behind the both of them. So much for showing off his groove. That nasty nacho ruined it all.

Steven smiled at Bill. A soft, gentle smile. "So... after this... is there anything you wanna do, exactly? I don't have any plans, or anything, so we could do whatever you want. You know, in return for you helping me with this fundraiser thing..."

Bill looked at Steven, thinking for a while. Oh, he had plans all right. But all of them would clue them in to his true nature. So, instead, he decided on something inconspicuous, "Well, kid, since this fundraiser's about a school, how's about we zip on over there and see what it's all about, eh?"

This was perfect. He could mess things up and they wouldn't be any the wiser. He was playing Steven like a fiddle, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Lars frowned slightly, crossing his arms. He still tried to act cool though, but he obviously didn't like what was going on.

Steven started to sweat, "Uh, I don't know where it is, and I don't think we can just walk over there..." he bit his lip. "And, uh, maybe something that doesn't involve as much walking? my legs are killing me!" he chuckled.

"We can just ask Sadie for the location," he suggested. He then proceeded to egg him on, "C'mon, kiddo! it'll be fun! you've always wanted to know what school entailed, didn't you? this is the perfect chance!"

Those legs would just have to suck it up. He'd let nothing get in his way. Absolutely nothing. He felt a little more of his powers come back, and smirked inwardly.

Steven sighed. "If that's really what you wanna do, why not?" He continued leading them down to the pier.

"Good choice, kid," he chuckled as he once again followed the boy. "Good choice."

Lars couldn't exactly stand for this. But he let this happen. For one, even though he might not show it, he was _terrified_ of Bill, terrified of what he could do to him. For second, his repute as a jerk was at stake. He'd never let his kindness show in public. Which was, again, _exactly_ what Bill wanted. Steven smiled and sighed again, trying to psyche himself up, "It might even be fun!"

"Yeah, that's the ticket!" Bill threw up his arms with celebration. But he was also inwardly confused. Moments earlier Steven was sighing begrudgingly about it, but now he was fully on board? that hardly ever happened. But he dismissed this and called it a serendipity. He wondered why he was questioning it in the first place. Lars stayed behind the two, despite wanting to walk in front of them now. He didn't want his back towards Bill, that was for sure.

Steven picked up the pace a little, excited. The demon and the young man also quickened their step. They were a little ways from the pier now. Sadie smiled when she saw them and waved them over.

"'Ey, Sadie!" Bill grinned, floating up to her and sitting beside her. Now was his chance to talk with her, get her on his side. Lars frowned, sitting on one of the blankets. He hoped to whoever was in charge that the nacho wasn't flirting with her.

"Hey, Bill," she smiled politely. She sat down next to Lars, which left Steven sitting in between Lars and Bill.

The demon grinned, taking something from the basket next to him, "It's nice to finally be able to speak to you, kid!"

"Nice to talk to you too," she started eating a sandwich.

The triangle's grin grew bigger and then he began eating too, trying to gather his thoughts. Lars begrudgingly grabbed a sandwich as well. He didn't want to be here right now. As if sensing his thoughts, Sadie said, "Hey, uh, Lars, could you run back to the Big Donut and grab us some napkins? I forgot to get us some."

Lars grinned. He'd take any chance to get away from that triangle for even a few minutes, "Sure thing, Sadie!" and he got up and started running back to the donut shoppe, taking bites of his food all the way there.

Bill looked his way and sighed happily. He was relieved too, in a way. He glanced at Steven and then back at Sadie, and that smirk was back on his eye when he finished eating that sandwich. He had to get her to trust him. But how? Steven probably already told her what he did. But it was nothing compared to what he _could_ have done. So perhaps he still had a chance.

Steven was oddly silent as he ate. Probably enjoying the sandwich.

"Well, I see the sandwiches are a hit!" Sadie grinned, breaking the silence. All four of them were eating them.

"They sure are, kid! you made them?" he asked, despite already knowing she didn't, but sounded genuinely curious. He decided casual conversation would be better here.

"No, actually. My mom sends me lunches in little packages all the time. I decided I might as well use them for something... in fact, this picnic basket is just several of those lunches put together," she smiled at Bill.

"Well, that's awfully nice of her!" the demon grinned back. He used to have a family, but they weren't quite the way Sadie's or even Steven's was. In fact, he even felt a tiny bit envious, but he shoved it down. He shouldn't be envious of fleshbags. He was _leagues_ better than them, _all_ of them, and he wouldn't _dare_ stoop to their level.

"It sure was... I guess I took it for granted..." she bit her lip, holding back tears now. Steven put an arm around Sadie, taking Lars's spot.

Bill scoffed. Again with the crying thing. Jeez, this town sure had a lot of tears, and he had only met _three_ people. He reached into the basket again and pulled out another sandwich. He ended up retorting, "You sure did. You humans take 'ungrateful jerks' to the next level!"

The tears really began to travel now, from Sadie's eyes. Steven glared at Bill. "It's not like you're much better!" tears were starting to roll down his cheeks too. "I took you into my home, fed you, and tried to be nice to you the best I could... but you've been so..." he looked away from Bill, "mean."

Bill narrowed his eye and took a bite out of the sandwich. This crying deal was getting on his nerves. Plus, he was only telling the truth, as brutal as it may have been. He scoffed again, "Yeah, yeah. You took care of me, I get it. I know it. I'd been through it, kid!"

However, he soon found he couldn't also toss a spiteful quip at Steven for some reason. It was strange, just like it was for him when he witnessed and was on the receiving end of kindness. His now wide eye twitched, but he shoved the confusion down, and the little feeling fell with it. He then whispered, eye narrowed once again with a hint of _something_ negative, low enough so that the boy and Sadie couldn't hear, "And mean isn't the only level I can get on..."

Steven shook his head and stood up, tossing his unfinished sandwich into the basket, "Sadie, could you just lead us to the school the fundraiser's at? I lost my appetite."

"Uh, yeah, sure," she rose to her feet, frowning a little and wiping the tears away. She also put her sandwich into the basket.

The demon took this chance to grab the picnic basket and shove all the food into his eye-mouth. It was all for him now. No one else was eating. And Lars, he felt, wasn't coming back for more. He grinned after he finished, tossing the basket aside and turning to face the two somewhat squicked-out kids. Now his plan to see how the school ran so he could ruin it from the inside-out could finally get rolling...

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed that chapter! :3  
I had Sadie in the beginning, and Ace later took on the role. Lars was once again taken by me. Bill Cipher and Steven, well, I already said who they belonged to. :3 But just in case you don't remember, Ace was Steven and I was Bill. XP  
I hope you review. It'd really make my day even more. X3


	6. The School

**A/N:** Aaaand here's Chapter Six, everyone! I hope you enjoy it! keep them reviews coming. I love 'em!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Six: The School**

After a lot of walking, Sadie, Steven and Bill all stood at the entrance of the school.

"Unfortunately, it's a Sunday. School's out today. That means we can't go in. Tomorrow, though, you could," Sadie smiled at Steven.

Steven glanced at Bill for his word in this. It was his idea to come here, after all. If Steven had it his way, they'd both be at home right now, watching his favorite show.

"Can't we sneak in?" Bill suggested, eye narrowed. He was itching to cause some chaos, staring up at the pristine building. Waiting a day could probably kill him. Well, not literally, but you get it.

"I'm pretty sure it's against the rules. But you're welcome to try. The door is locked anyway," and to demonstrate, she went up and shook the handle.

He really didn't care about the rules. He ate rules for breakfast, lunch, _and_ dinner, only to vomit them back out as something that broke them. He had now the urge to blast this door down, but he wanted to be discreet. He didn't want anyone to suspect they had been here. In fact, he thought of something better. He chuckled, and then snapped his fingers, focusing on the locking mechanism. He heard it tumble, and he announced, "Try it now, Sadie!"

She tried it now, afraid that it might actually work. She definitely didn't want to get in trouble...

And it worked despite her wishes, the door opening with a click. No alarms went off either. Bill had disabled those too.

"This is so exciting! I finally get to see what's gotten kids and teenagers so worked up!" he lied like it was the truth, grinning widely. Though he supposed it wouldn't hurt getting some ideas from this place that he could use in tormenting people more effectively.

"Well... I guess I could show you two around..." Sadie resigned, wanting nothing more than to return to the Big Donut. She didn't feel like she should be here at all...

The demon nudged Sadie rather playfully, "Don't feel so down! we'll be in and out! quick as a flash!" and then glanced at Steven, trying to gauge his reaction.

Steven sighed, "If that's what you really wanna do. Where are we going first?"

"Well, first, we gotta turn on the lights so we can actually see in here." Never mind Bill's glow. Sadie made her way over to the light switch and flipped it on. Bill looked around then, taking in the artistic corridor. He was planning what he could do with the location. Though it probably looked nice in human eyes, it fell far below his standards.

She and the boy began to walk around the hallway, with the demon beside them. It was silent, of course, minus their footfalls, and it completely creeped both her and Steven out. The silence didn't particularly bother Bill, however. It only reminded him that the place was completely empty, save for the three of them. Boy, would the students and staff come back tomorrow to a lovely surprise or what? he put his hand on his "chin", looking at the many doors that led to classrooms, offices, and all that jazz. However, he wanted a room in particular. He could mess these up later.

Sadie stopped and turned to Bill, "Anywhere in particular you wanna go?"

"Oh, yeah! I've got a hankering for some chemistry!" he lied cheerfully.

"Chemistry, eh?" contrary to his instructions, she began towards the computer lab. Perhaps on purpose...

Bill followed her, "clueless" and grinning. Wherever she led him, even if it was wrong, he was going to wreak havoc anyway. Steven walked beside Bill, silent, observing him. Wondering what was going on in his head... knowing it could not be pleasant.

Eventually, after quite a walk through the corridors, they reached the computer lab. She slapped her forehead gently, "Oh! right! I forgot! the science wing is on the other side of the building... well, we should go over there!" Sadie had a plan. She'd keep the group moving. Like Bill said, in and out.

Bill took one glance at all the computers lined up on several desks. They seemed far more advanced than the ones back in Gravity Falls. And faster and more sleek too. With a simple twitch of his eye, however, which was put forth to showcase his apparent annoyance with Sadie, that all changed. Of course, they still _looked_ the same, but now they'd underperform. It wasn't what he wanted to do, it wasn't _real_ damage, but it'd do. He then nodded with a slight groan, "Alright then..."

And so they shoved off again. It took some time, but finally, they reached the chemistry lab.

"Here's the lab..." and then she frowned, feeling that someone wasn't with them. "Hey, where'd Steven go?" she looked around. The boy had seemingly disappeared on the way there. The silence was thick. He could be anywhere by now...

Bill looked around too, but ultimately didn't care. He shrugged, eye now wandering over to the cabinets that held various chemicals and to the various lab equipment neatly spread out on the sturdy tables, "Eh, who knows? why don't you go looking for him? I got it from here."

"I'm not leaving you here alone," Sadie said, completely sure that the triangle guy was up to no good. "So, come on, we're going to go find Steven and leave this place." She stood up tall, as if to assert authority over him.

"You're not the boss of me, lady!" he frowned, his good mood dissipating even further than it already had. He put his hands on his "hips", and floated up higher than her, asserting even more of an authority over her. He wasn't going to listen to a fleshbag. Ever. "I do what I want!"

"Oh, yeah? well, go ahead then. Do whatever you want. See how things turn out for you. I bet they won't turn out nice at all! Lars was right about you..." she turned to walk away now.

Bill smirked. Things, minus Weirdmageddon, when those bratty Pines got in his way, always worked out well for him. And never for his victims. And, right now, his victims were the students and the staff. He waited a while before he entered the room though, hands still on his "hips". He was waiting until Sadie left for real.

She turned and watched him, silent. Eventually, she said, "What? are you afraid to do whatever it is that you're going to do? should I be worried about it?" her gaze was as cold as steel.

His eye narrowed at her, "Let's just say it's private business. And aren't you worried about Steven? shouldn't you be, y'know, _looking_ for him?"

"He can handle himself," she didn't budge.

And Bill was once again surprised, but it again didn't last. He shook with irritation and desire. Desire to cause chaos. And this kid was getting in the way of that. He wanted to kill her now, get her out of the way, but something was stopping him. He wouldn't be able to cover it up for one. And no one, not even Steven, would be able to come to trust him again. He'd end up on the curb before he ever did any _true_ damage.

He sighed, glancing into the lab. He once again was forced to do something mediocre, something that fell below his standards of chaos. With another annoyed twitch of his eye, potions, or chemicals, turned more dangerous, able to summon demons and the like, and the functions of the equipment switched around. So now the mixer instead acted like a vacuum cleaner set in the wrong direction. The triangle narrowed his eye, crossing his arms now, "You're no fun. I'm bored now."

"Well, if you're done just standing there, we've got a Steven to find!" she smiled a little. Forced, however.

"Eh, sure. Why not? got nothing better to do now," he shrugged, and then floated towards her, still fairly put off. He huffed, and that did something to the light fixtures. They were fine now, of course, but they were now programmed to flicker and turn off for a while if the hallways were _filled_ with people. And tomorrow would be that day.

Sadie didn't turn her back to him, "Why don't you lead the way?"

Bill glared, and then settled for levitating alongside her. "Is that better, Queen of England?" he, of course, didn't think she was a queen, or even deserving of the title. It was, in fact, condescending and sarcastic. He may have liked her before, but now she was right below Lars and the Pines family on the list of the people he hated.

She smiled and nodded, "Now... where could he be?" she looked around, uncertain. She wondered if she could trust the guy enough to split up and take separate wings to look through.

The demon raised his only eyebrow at her thoughts. Seriously? he swore if he had another moment where he was confounded he'd go crazier than he already was. She didn't leave him alone when he wanted to mess up the lab, and _now_ she was wondering if she could to make the search for Steven even easier? mind-boggling, the thought was.

She looked at him and asked, "You think I could leave you alone, and we could split up to find Steven sooner?"

Bill smirked, deciding to use this to his advantage, "Sure you can. I'll behave like an angel!" and then he posed innocently, hands clasped with a halo appearing over his hat. It was all a ploy, of course. And, if she actually agreed... well, he'd take back what he said about the town seeming more competent.

"Hmm. I don't know... how about..." she plucked his hat right off his head, much to Bill's dismay for he gasped, eye widening as he felt at his top point. She continued, "Now, I'm taking this. You better not do anything bad, or you're not getting this back. Got it?" she warned.

He then growled, reaching out for his hat, about to agree so that he could secretly break the informal vow.

An idea then came to her. She held out her other hand, smirking slightly, "Deal?"

And then his hope sank completely. _Agh, it was a deal now!_ he had no choice but to follow through! he cursed violently in his head. This lasted for a few minutes, mixed with spoken angrish that his precious hat was taken from him. Sadie watched, expressionless and waiting, but slightly scared on the inside too.

"Urgh..." once he was done having his hissy fit, he sighed, and the hand that was outstretched lit up with blue, flickering flames. He frowned, and said glumly, taking and shaking her hand, "Fine. It's a deal."

She gasped when that happened. Didn't expect the bright blue flames one bit. With her free hand, she put his hat on her own head. "A-alright then. Let's go," she smiled a little. "Which wing do you wanna take?"

Bill glared at her, the flames subsiding. That hat belonged on _his_ head, but he'd soon have it back. He just had to go along with this, however much he hated it. He sighed solemnly yet dryly, "The east wing, perhaps. That's where we last saw the kid, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, I suppose it was. So, okay, you go that way, and I'll go along this wing for him," she smiled, tipped _his_ hat, and started walking away, looking for Steven.

The demon stared after her, and it took all his willpower not to turn red, burst into flames and scream to high heaven. _SHE TIPPED MY HAT! SHE_ _ **TIPPED**_ _IT! THAT IS_ _ **MY**_ _GIG!_

He cursed again, this time not mentally at all and it rang throughout the entire school. He calmed down almost immediately afterwards, though, and figured he was wasting time throwing a tantrum. He was going to make this quick, but again he still lacked the energy to teleport. So he settled for manually making his way back to the east wing. However, if there was one good thing that came out of this, it was that he was still capable of making deals.

He then thought about it.

Nope... not good. Not good at all.

Sadie searched her side of the school, frowning when she heard Bill yelling, but shrugged. She figured he was probably being attacked by a monster of some sort, and, if the monster approached her next, she would thank it for ridding her of the triangle and allowing her to keep the top hat. She loved the top hat. She really did. She saw some glass windows where she could see her reflection, and, in those, she posed with the hat, grinning. She thought about taking selfies of her with the hat...

...but she realized sadly that she left her phone at the Donut.

Sadie had grossly underestimated the demon. For one, there was no monster; that was only the sound of his rage. For two, he would have vaporized it, no problem. He begrudgingly searched for Steven, looking through multiple classrooms and ignoring the itch to cause even the slightest bit of chaos. Because, if he did, his precious hat would be lost forever, to that lowly meatsack who clearly didn't deserve it. He sighed, frustration mounting when he saw that the boy was nowhere to be found.

"Where the hell did he go...?" he asked himself gruffly, still in quite the _wonderful_ mood.

Sadie found herself at the entrance easily, after searching the entire wing she was assigned to. She proceeded to enter the bathroom, and pose with the hat in the mirror, grinning. Bill Cipher reached an office. He tilted himself. He felt something in there. Hopefully it would be Steven. And not because he cared, but because he wanted his hat back.

His frown deepened at the reminder that his hat was gone and that Sadie had strung him along instead of the other way around. Angry flames unconsciously rose from and lapped at his skinny, black arms, but he patted them out before too long. The demon sighed and reached out to open the door.

Contrary to what he thought, Steven was not in the office room. In fact, he wasn't in any office or classroom at all. He had gone to the bathroom. Coincidentally and conveniently the one located next to the one Sadie occupied.

Bill pulled it open, sighed when he saw no one was in there. Except maybe a Gem Monster, which was probably what he sensed. But he hardly cared. He'd let it wreak havoc. And then he closed the door.

It was at this time he was convinced that he cleared this wing. There were no other doors to check. He had checked all of them. So, sullenly, he made his way back to the entrance, slowly exploring the school as he went at his leisure, feeling at his unnaturally barren top point. At least he managed to mess _some_ things up before the deal.

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaand there we go! woooo! I hope you enjoyed it! Ace plays a magnificent Sadie, as well as Steven, but Sadie had the limelight here. So yeah. What a turn of events, right, folks? XD I bet you probably weren't expecting it. But here it is. Please tell me what you think, preferably in detail and a play-by-play. XP Otherwise, I shall see you next week with the next chapter! bon voyage~ **disappears.**


	7. Second Chances and Hope

**A/N:** Alright! time for me to honor you with another chapter of A Triangle in the Stars! Chapter Seven, come on out and dazzle the crowd!

But, before you get started, I wanna say thanks again for all these favorites, follows and for all you reviewers sticking by this story! they really do wonders! and speaking of reviews, wow, a lot of guests have replied to Chapter Six. Though I'm pretty sure they're one and the same. Glad you all like the story so far. Now then..

/Mr mystery: It's an honor to have you, Stanley Pines, comment on my story. Glad you implied you like it so much. And you're aware that this story, and the site itself, are free of charge, right? and the fact that you reviewed a little while after I updated? so be patient, and tell all those people at the Mystery Shack to be patient too. It's gonna be updated weekly, and that's that. X3 I'm sure you know the value of suspense. X3

/Mr Ilaughatyou: Well, thanks for the defense.. and thanks for the compliment. X3

/Caesar cypher: Oooh, a cipher. And it means, "I, Mr mystery and Ilaughatyou are all the same person and I am actually =leftblankforyourprivacy=. *congrats you decoded all of this*"... I knew it. That's a nice name, by the way.

/Mr hyper: So glad you're hyped! and to all of you, well, the chapter is here now. That's the only way I can reply to your reviews, since they're, y'know, anonymous. So I hope you enjoy it! and I bet you're saying with this cipher that you're the other guys too. Knew that as well.

/mr Ironic: I like it too. And you're also the other ones. Wanna know how I knew? well, you reviewed right behind each other, for one. So that's one mystery solved.

Now let's get to this chapter, where the mystery of this story shall be unfolded even more, though only by just a bit. Enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Seven: Second Chances and Hope**

After a while, Steven left the bathroom around the same time Sadie had, and he gasped when he saw her, "Oh, Sadie! sorry for disappearing on you... I really had to go..." he smiled a little, blushing slightly.

Sadie smiled back, "Oh, that's fine. When you gotta go, you gotta go." She was still posing with that skinny topper. She wondered if she'd ever part with it. She loved it that much. Sure, a deal was a deal, but...

...she _loved_ this hat.

He frowned, "What's with the hat? and where'd Bill go?"

"We split up looking for you. And the hat is leverage," was all she said, still smiling.

"Oh..." he nodded like he understood perfectly. "Then we should go find Bill now, before he gets into any major trouble!"

"Oh, I doubt he will. I talked him out of it," she half-lied. She wouldn't say she struck a deal with Bill.

"But we should still go find him. He's my responsibility..."

Sadie frowned. She knew that she'd have to give back his hat the moment he was found again. She inhaled and then exhaled, "Um... how about we make a quick trip back to the Big Donut? I need to do something really important. And then we can come back and search for him. How's that sound?"

"Okay, but it's gotta be quick. I don't like leaving him alone..."

"Alright!" she hated lying to him, but it was the only way she could ever take selfies of herself. But she had also to make up and do that something important. She wondered what it should be. And, while she wondered, she held out a hand for Steven's, smiling, "Let's go then."

He took her hand and smiled, and, remembering the way out, started towards it. Sadie let him, grinning and posing somewhat along the way. Suddenly, she knew what to do. She'd make some donuts. And also clean up that picnic. She hadn't the chance to do that before. Steven smiled.

"Can I borrow the, uh, leverage?" he asked quietly, somewhat jealous.

Sadie doffed the hat and handed it out to him, "Thought you'd never ask. You'll like it."

He took it, inspected it for a second, and then hung it above his head, the way Bill wore it. He giggled, "You're right! I really like it!"

Sadie grinned, "I'm glad! now let's hurry out of this school and back to the picnic site, and then to the Big Donut. Bill's exploring and he'll soon run out of places to explore."

Steven nodded, and then they headed out the front doors, the boy taking some selfies with the hat on his head, grinning. Sadie joined in a few of the selfies, and they made it back to the picnic site before long. She hummed as she started folding up the blankets and found the picnic basket that Bill had previously tossed away. Steven helped as well. He decided to strike up a conversation, "So... where do you think Lars is? back at the Big Donut?"

"He's probably elsewhere by now, knowing him..." she frowned, stuffing the blankets she folded into the empty basket.

He nodded. He thought for a while. "What do you think Bill's deal is?" he eventually asked softly, glancing at her as he cleaned the crumbs into a little tray.

Sadie pondered this, drumming her fingers on her chin, "I... I honestly don't know... but he probably has a reason for his behavior... nothing is done without a rhyme or a reason. Still doesn't have to be such a jerk though."

She finished folding up the blankets and shoved them into the basket. She remembered what Bill called her. "Ungrateful jerk". Well, as much of a brutal attack that was, it had some truth to it. A lot of truth, to be honest. She didn't appreciate her mom at all until she watched that Home Video Rose created. And now she couldn't help thinking something else fueled that attack. That was probably just a shot into the air, but it may be possible.

Steven nodded, "Maybe with time he'll realize how nice everyone is here. And he'll decide not to be mean to anyone anymore." He, ever the optimist, smiled softly, staring up at the sky with hope in his wide eyes.

Sadie smiled, "Hopefully..." she wished she could share his optimism at this point in time, because right now she couldn't see how Bill could change, especially not after what she did. But she agreed anyway. She got up and picked up the picnic basket, ready to shove off to the Big Donut so she could take selfies and prepare some donuts for the afternoon rush. "Ready to go back to the Big Donut, Steven?"

"Oh, yeah. We gotta return this stuff," he nodded to the basket.

"Mmhm, not to mention set out the donuts," she reached for his hand. She didn't forget about her true purpose, however. To take selfies with that hat. She wanted to treasure it forever. He nodded, smiling, and took her hand. And then Sadie led him back to the Big Donut, grinning. He jollily skipped beside her, grinning as well. Sadie chuckled, swinging the basket like an impromptu pendulum as she started skipping as well. This would all be quick, she assured herself. For Steven's sake...

* * *

 **A/N:** You all know where this is going, right? of course ((not))! XD  
I was Sadie this time around, and Ace played a wonderful Steven as always! there's also not one, but _two_ ((rather blatant)) references in here. It shouldn't take you too long to spot them. :3  
This is one of those pivotal chapters, where they try to understand Bill a little better; even though he's not in this one in particular, he's sure as heck mentioned a lot.  
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. I'll see you next Saturday or Sunday with Chapter Eight. X3

P.S: School's starting back for me tomorrow, but, since this is prewritten, Ace and I've got a long ways to go before updates have to slow down/cease for a bit. Just to let you all know.


	8. Rage

**A/N:** Finally, I bet you're all saying, Saturday is finally here! so now Chapter Eight is also here to grace you with its presence! I hope you enjoy it! hehehe...

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Eight: Rage**

It had been a good few thirty minutes since the two humans left the school. Bill was biding his time exploring the building more thoroughly, still ignoring the itch to cause more damage. He was bound to that deal, after all. He growled at the very reminder, but sighed. Nothing he could do about it now, but he'd make sure Sadie would be the first to die after he betrays her and Steven.

He found himself in one of the girl's bathrooms, having blatantly ignored the sign. He became quite curious about the toilets for quite a bit. He'd never seen one up close before. He fiddled with the little silver switch, eye half-lidded with a strange bored curiosity. This action, when he pressed a little too hard, triggered the toilet flushing, and a bit of the water splashed on him. He reacted with disgust, shuddering, and then anger. He summoned red fire, about to destroy this toilet. But then he remembered the deal again, and dispelled the flames with a loud growl and settled for kicking the toilet instead. He laughed and cried out at the pain that resulted, landing and hopping up and down while holding the injured foot.

The demon soon recovered, and shook off the offending water, before he exited the stall and floated in front of a mirror. He hadn't seen what he looked like since what seemed like forever. But, for a split second, for some reason, he didn't like what he saw. And it wasn't because of his missing hat either. But there was something... _something_ _else..._

He liked the way he looked, all things considered—triangular and golden—but...

His eye widened soon enough and he stopped this train of thought forcefully. He frowned, and tore his gaze away from the mirror, deciding to think about how he wound up here, and especially about how he was going to tell Steven where he came from. He hummed with thought, rubbing at his "chin".

And that's when he remembered. Sadie and Steven. It's been a long time since she split off from him to find Steven. It shouldn't have taken her _that_ long to find him, and the school felt even emptier than before. His frown deepened as he tried to piece the information together, and he pushed open the door to leave the bathroom, looking around the hall with his hands on his "hips" now. He made his way to the entrance. His sensors weren't picking up any auras. Which only meant one thing...

He growled and his hellish pupil started glowing a deep crimson. He then started out the door, locking it behind him and turning off the lights, and made his way back to the picnic site...

Sadie had put away the picnic basket and finished setting the donuts out. True to what she had said, Lars was nowhere to be found, so Steven had to help her. Right now, she had her phone in her hand and Bill's top hat poised on her head, preparing to take yet another photo of herself. Steven smiled and got into the photo, grinning. He put bunny ears above Bill's hat. Just as she was about to take the picture, however, they both felt a very familiar presence. And it felt very. _Very._ _ **Angry.**_

Sadie's eyes slowly widened, and she looked towards the door. There was Bill, his usually white glow a deep red. His hands were clenched and glowing.

"H..how dare you?" the demon was eyeing their poses and the phone in particular. After a few seconds, he repeated the question more harshly and loudly, slipping into his demonic voice, " _ **HOW DARE YOU?!**_ "

Steven, terrified, hid behind his friend. But then he frowned and stepped back out in front of her. "We were going to come back to the school to find you, I promised! Right, Sadie?" he looked at her sternly, feeling actually afraid of Bill.

Sadie didn't say a word. She started sweating. She honestly "forgot" about Bill. She wanted to keep that hat. She wanted to make it last longer, especially by taking pictures. Bill glanced at Steven, seeming to consider what he was saying, but rage melted it away soon enough. Especially since he knew Steven had been participating in this debacle as well.

"...It's bad enough you took my hat! but then you _**LEAVE ME BEHIND AND CHOOSE TO TAKE SELFIES WITH IT?!**_ _SELFIES_?!" he glared at them both, shuddering with rage, wanting to kill them both now. He levitated a step closer to them, the roof crackling with lightning.

"Sadie, give me his hat. Go. Run. To the back, somewhere," Steven ordered, biting his lip. He wanted to talk to Bill alone, and was a little afraid Sadie would interfere. "And Bill! leave Sadie alone! it was... it was my idea!" he hesitated in the lie, trying to draw attention away from the girl and to himself.

Bill scoffed, and the lightning crackled even harder, "I know you're lying, kid! that isn't gonna help you one bit!"

Sadie refused to run. She stayed put, "I'm not gonna let you take the blame for what I did, Steven!"

The demon would have been confused by this, but he was simply too angry for any rational thought. His red aura was beginning to consume his golden color.

"Sadie..." Steven took the hat off her head and put it on his own, and then shot his shield from his gem, taking Sadie away with it. He knew it'd hurt her, when he shot it. But he was sure there was no other way. Sadie gasped with some pain, and she soon ended up in the back room, lying on the floor. She groaned, beginning to regret this heavily. The demon then focused entirely on Steven, his brow deeply furrowed with hatred and rage. He growled, and advanced towards the boy another step.

Steven took another step towards Bill as well. "I don't want to hurt you! I just need you to calm down... we'll give you your hat back, and delete the selfies. I know what we did wasn't right... but you gotta be a better person. Look past it. We looked past what you did," he tried, gripping the hat tight.

Bill looked Steven up and down, and then gazed at his hat. His beloved hat. He calmed down a little bit, the red color dissipating and the lightning dispersing bit by bit with what was being said, and narrowed his eye at the boy, trying to scan for lies, "You really mean that? you'll really delete every single one of those pictures?"

"I promise," Steven said honestly, nodding. "It was a bad thing to do, what we did, and I'm sorry. I hope you can forgive me... as well as Sadie," he took off the hat and held it out to Bill, biting his lip. Hoping this would really work.

Bill looked at him again, deeply surprised. And, as much as he hated to admit it, even a little bit touched. His eye twitched. He was confounded again. But he didn't go crazier like he swore he was going to do. In fact, there was this little feeling that cropped up. It was tiny, barely noticeable. But it was there, and he was confused by that too.

He shoved all three feelings aside soon enough, and shakily took back his hat. He set it atop his top point again, and, magically and quickly, the lightning dispersed and his red aura gave way to his usual white one. He sighed, "Thanks, kid," and then he crossed his arms, "but don't expect me to forgive you both any time soon!"

Steven shook his head, "Of course not. I wouldn't either. Sadie? please delete all the selfies with Bill's hat in it." He got out his own phone and started deleted them, one by one, turning so Bill could clearly see what he was doing.

Sadie had worked her way back to the main area of the shoppe, having recovered from the pain. She took out her own phone, and began, though she struggled, to delete all those selfies she took, holding her phone in a way so that Bill could see that she was doing it.

The demon observed this, unblinking. It was almost creepy, as Sadie inwardly noted, but he had to so that these two wouldn't pull a fast one on him. They weren't allowed to keep even a single selfie. Steven was alright with that. He had already sent some to Connie, though, and texted her to delete them, if she downloaded them at all.

Sadie was soon done deleting the selfies, frowning. She still didn't like what she had to do, but she figured it was the right punishment for what she did. She announced, "I'm done..."

Bill sighed, rubbing at his top point, "Good. Here's a reminder for you two kids," and then he pointed at his top hat, narrowing his eye, "this hat is mine. No one else's. Got it?"

Sadie nodded with no hesitation. She definitely didn't want to go through _this_ again. Through her mistakes, she almost got herself and Steven killed. She'd probably never forgive herself for this.

Meanwhile, Bill noticed there was a slight hint in his voice that suggested he was tired. He grew somewhat confused by this. He never got tired before. But he supposed he had to take into account that he had only reformed yesterday, and thus using too much power at one time would be rather tiring. He didn't feel so tired as to want to sleep, however, so that was a good thing. They still had a long day ahead of them, and he didn't want to miss anything else.

Steven nodded, "Yeah, we get it. I'm sorry..." he held his arms out. He wouldn't hug Bill. He wanted the triangle to hug him instead, first, or maybe Sadie, if Bill did not.

Bill sneered at him. He still wasn't partial to hugs yet. Still thought they were sappy. Besides, he was still a bit angry about the whole thing. He simply stared Steven down. Sadie put her phone away and hugged Steven instead. She looked at Bill, "Yeah, I'm sorry too..."

The demon huffed, but was still tired, so that was all he did. Aside from staring her down as well. Steven let go of Sadie and watched Bill with curiosity, "Uh... what'cha wanna do now?"

For once, the demon couldn't think of anything else to do. Besides, he had to rest his powers a bit, and thus he had no more plans to cause chaos, sadly. The only thing he had to look forward to now was the news broadcast tomorrow, about the school and his malicious hijinks. He wanted to see that. He eventually shrugged, "Eh, nothing much now."

And then he raised an eyebrow. He remembered something. Steven thought-mentioned Connie while he was deleting those horrid pictures. He then asked, somewhat curiously though he already knew the answer, "Say, you planning on meeting Connie later?"

Sadie said nothing, going back to her job, back to behind the counter. She was still kinda beating herself up for what she did.

"Oh, yeah! she's probably already at the beach, waiting for me!" Steven gasped. He glanced at Sadie, "I gotta go check on Connie... uh, Bill, do you wanna come with me?"

"Sure. Why not?" he mustered up a smile. Fake as it was,—he was still somewhat sour, and tired—it did the job fairly nicely. He wanted to meet Connie too, hopefully get her strung along after he failed with Sadie. Perhaps he wouldn't lose his cool this time either. Or, even better and more accurately, perhaps she wouldn't give him a reason to flip out.

The girl nodded, working up a smile too, however uneasy, "You two have fun."

After all he did, anyone else would have cut Bill loose. But here Steven was, still sticking by his side. It was almost amazing, if even a bit idiotic in the demon's eyes. Granted, the last bit was their fault, completely. But still...

That little feeling came up again, but he crushed it immediately. He didn't allow it to linger at all. Steven took Bill's hand, waved to Sadie, who waved back, and then led him to the beach.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there's Chapter Eight! I hope you enjoyed it!  
Also, here's a "what could have been": had things played out differently, Bill would have taken his hat back and then the phones by force and snapped them in half. But instead you have this, which is excellent! I played both Sadie and Bill here, and Ace supplied an excellent Steven, as usual. :3  
So.. yeah. :3 I'll see you next Saturday with Chapter Nine, unless you have reviews to leave! in that case, I'll see you when you do!


	9. Meeting Connie

**A/N:** Well, here's Chapter Nine! finally, right? yesterday felt so long that I was thinking about and was close to uploading this chapter yesterday. But I decided, "Nah. People are often their busiest at Fridays. And I wanted to keep up the schedule. So... yah."  
By the way, thanks for such awesome reviews, and for all the favorites and follows! but enough of my chatter. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Nine: Meeting Connie**

Steven, with Bill's hand in his, skipped to the beach, hoping to meet his friend, Connie. Bill was silent all the while, groaning in his head. Soon enough, they rounded the corner, and, indeed, they saw the girl. She was sitting, with some boards beside her, waiting for him. He smiled, "Hey, Connie!"

Bill didn't argue this time about being "manhandled" or whatever. He was a little too tired for that. Plus, he wanted to impress Connie, and he was sure complaining wouldn't quite get what he wanted, especially since this was a first impression. He smiled at her, and tipped his hat, "Y'ello, Connie!"

Connie smiled, "Hey, Steven! I was getting worried that you wouldn't be here! uh... who's this?" she looked at Bill now, raising an eyebrow but smiling.

"This is Bill Cipher. He's staying at the Temple with me for a while," Steven smiled and then let go of Bill.

Bill nodded, and then floated next to her, scanning her with a finger on his "chin". His smile turned into a grin soon enough, "Yep. Bill Cipher's the name! please do wear it out!"

"Nice to meet you. I guess you're one of the Gems, right?" she asked, smiling kindly at him.

Bill laughed, waving a dismissive hand, "Oh, no. I'm something much better though!"

He was reminded then of when he and Steven first met. He wondered how and why they mistook him for a Gem. He hardly looked like any of them, and he hadn't a gem on any of his body parts. It, dare he say again, confused him. He realized he was starting to get confused a lot. And it all started since he washed up on this very beach. He surely hoped he'd stop getting confused soon. He couldn't imagine what it was doing to his repute as an all-knowing dream demon, but he knew it was negative.

"Well, what are you then?" Connie asked, smiling. "If you're so much better than a Gem, what could you possibly be?"

"A dream entity," he half-lied. He kept the fact that he was a demon hidden for several reasons. One of those reasons was that the majority of this world held quite the grudge against them, justified or not. Second was because of people like Sadie and Stan, both of whom tricked him in some way involving his own deals, and the former didn't even know about his demonhood! He didn't want to go through either of those reasons again, or any other reasons, so he left it at that.

She frowned, "I don't understand... what does that entail, exactly? what does it mean to be a dream entity?"

"Well, exactly that. I can enter dreams... and I'm able to manipulate them to my whims too."

He fought the urge to glance at Steven, hoping he wouldn't figure it out. He knew the kid was smarter than he sometimes let on. And he knew Connie was even smarter. He also could do a lot more than he mentioned, but chose to omit them. He didn't want Connie freaking out or asking him to conjure up this and conjure up that. He was still a bit tired from his meltdown earlier. That and he didn't feel like being nice. He never felt like being nice.

"Oh, that's cool," she didn't draw much attention to it, dismissing him as she looked towards the water. "I brought some boogie boards, and my swimsuit. You guys wanna go in the water?"

Steven grinned, "Do I! hold on, I'll run back to the Temple and get on my trunks!" he began literally running back, leaving Connie and Bill alone.

Bill gazed out across the ocean, and a flash of a vague memory of some kind rushed through him. He shuddered at it, and gripped his arms. He remembered being trapped under the water for long periods of time, he remembered traveling across it for even longer. All in his statue form. Because of this, he didn't think he could go through with this. He still needed to rest up anyway.

He shook himself as an answer to her question, and then gazed up at Connie for a second, smiling a bit, "Nah. I think I'll sit this one out. Thanks for asking though."

He was relieved, though, that Connie didn't press into this "dream entity" business, as she seemed often known to do. He was relieved that Steven was distracted. He thought for sure he'd figure it out otherwise. He rubbed his top point, as if wiping sweat off of it, and then looked down at the sand.

"So, uh, dream entity..." she tapped her fingers against the sand. "You ever boogied on a board before?" she asked with a smirk, seeming to forget what Bill said, then continued with, "I brought three on accident, so, if you'd like..." she let him finish the thought.

"I have a name, ya know..." Bill frowned slightly, and he shook himself again, "and, didn't ya hear me? no means no, kid. I'm taking a break from water... I'd seen too much of it, and felt too much of it..."

"Oh, I get it. You're just like Lapis, right?" she asked, smiling, "trapped for a while? Steven told me about how she was in a mirror once..."

Bill nodded, deciding to roll with this, "Yeah... trapped. It's an awful feeling..."

He wasn't lying, however. It really _was_ an awful feeling, despite his having had a limited consciousness, and perhaps even _because_ of that. But he wanted to tug at her heartstrings. However, at the same time, he was wondering... how similar were he and Lapis..? so far two people compared him to her. Could it be why they thought he was a Gem?

"I bet it was," she nodded and patted his back.

Bill shuddered. He was touched again. But he didn't complain. He _wouldn't_. It would ruin his chances.

"Yep. So... how are you today?" he asked. Again he decided casual conversation would be good here.

"Bored. I had to do a bunch of chores around the house... and then I was worrying I wouldn't get to see Steven."

"Chores, eh?" he focused in on that. He really had nothing to say about her being worried about Steven.

"Yeah. Doing the dishes, taking out the trash..." she shrugged, and then looked in the Temple's direction. "Oh, hey, there's Steven!"

Steven waved as he came down from the Temple, without a shirt on, revealing the gem where his belly button should be. Bill didn't give the gem a second glance. He knew the boy wasn't completely human. The demon waved back, a bit annoyed that he wasn't able to finish his conversation with Connie. But he figured Steven would have had to come back out some time, and now was a good time.

Connie took off her dress, revealing a suit. She ran into the water, laughing, holding a board between her arm and her side. Steven grabbed a board too, laughing, and ran after her, leaving Bill alone. The demon simply took to watching them, crossing his arms.

"C'mon, Bill, get in! the water's nice!" Steven suggested, sitting in there, his board by his side. He smiled at Bill, and splashed the water at Connie. Bill narrowed his eye at him. He wasn't willing to get in the water any time soon, especially after all the time he'd spent trapped in and traveling across it. But he soon found himself looking at the spare board Connie brought along.

"Come on, Billy!" Connie tried, patting the water and unintentionally splashing Steven back.

His eye twitched, and he corrected her, "The name's _Bill_." He accepted no variations of his name. He sighed. He really didn't want to join them. But then again, he was exceedingly bored. He looked at the board again, and pointed at it, slowly picking it up with his magic. He rubbed at his "chin" with thought now, "Hmm..."

Steven paddled a little more out, and so did Connie. The demon looked at them again, and then back at the board. He alternated his glances for a few minutes, until...

...he broke down and agreed, "Oh, what the heck? it'll give me _something_ to do."

Bill got up and began walking towards the shoreline, the board floating behind him. He shouldn't be scared of mere water. It couldn't do much to him anyway. Steven cheered him on, and Connie had the widest smile, "You can do it, we believe in you!"

He looked at them both again. This felt weird. No one had ever cheered him on before. Aside from his interdimensional friends, but this was different. This wasn't causing chaos. This was having fun in the simplest way, without any bit of chaos involved at all. He tossed the board into the water, making sure it didn't land that far away from him, and then he glanced at the two kids again, looking _very_ uneasy. They didn't stop cheering, though. Steven, who still thought Bill deserved a couple more chances. Connie, who didn't even know how bad Bill was at all, aside from what Steven had told her.

The demon wasn't used to this. Not at all. He was confused once again. He turned away from them for a while, trying to recompose himself and his thoughts. And then he took a deep breath, turned to face them again, and levitated onto the board carefully, ignoring the fact that he was about to go beyond his comfort zone.

Steven paddled up to him, "Come on... get in the water! it's really nice, I promise!" he laughed and plugged his nose, then dove down under the surface. Connie stayed where she was, agreeing with Steven.

Bill watched this, struggling to maintain his balance. The boy made the water move too much. He didn't want to fall in. Didn't want to relive that vague memory. His eye was wide and his legs were shaking due to fear, but to the two kids it looked like he was just trying not to fall. He sighed eventually, "I... I don't know..."

 _What is this? what are you doing, Bill? the only time you've felt this way was when Stan literally one-punched you and "killed" you. This isn't even tantamount to that! it's just water! it can't do anything to you! show no fear!_ he attempted to psyche himself up. He looked at the water, eye twitching.

Steven sighed, so did Connie, and moved away, "You don't have to get in if you don't want to. But we could have more fun if you did."

The demon looked at him. And then at Connie. Those faces looked so pitiful. And it was his fault. Wait wait wait, no. Why did he just think that? he was supposed to take delight in the expressions. Besides, this wasn't his fault. He didn't have to take a dip if he didn't want to, just like Steven said. But he'd be bored if he didn't. Very bored.

He gazed at the water again, and steeled himself.

That's it.

He was doing it.

And he'd have no regrets.

He jumped off his board and made a little splash in the water as he touched down. His eye was wide for a while, as he came back up quickly and waded in the blue, but soon he just felt warmth. Nothing was harming him at all, and he wasn't drowning either. They were right.

 _He_ was right.

It was just water.

He survived.

He grinned and started chuckling with his hands clasped, almost like a kid on Christmas Eve.

"Way to go, Bill!" Connie raised her arms, laughing.

Steven grinned, "I knew you could do it!"

Bill smiled at them both. He felt a warm sorta feeling for some reason. It wasn't coming from the water, but rather from himself. It was odd. He wasn't used to feeling that way in particular. He then tried his best to ignore it, and fixed his smile into a smug grin, "Yeah, I did it! didn't I? hehe!"

Steven got on his board, chuckling. Connie smiled at the triangle's reaction. Bill splashed around in the water, and then started using his powers to make it dance. It was far from harmful chaos, but it satisfied him enough. It was all he could do right now, anyway.

Steven watched with joy, as did Connie, although she was a bit more awed.

"Just like Lapis..." he whispered.

Bill chuckled, honestly having fun with himself. He wondered why he didn't want to do this in the first place. This was way too fun!

Steven watched him with glee, and Connie started dangling her fingers in the water, still observing with wonder. Bill suddenly grinned mischievously. He had an idea. These two liked to get wet, didn't they? he glanced behind them, and a wave started forming there. It was huge, huge enough to cover a portion of the beach and then some. A shadow loomed over the two kids. The boy looked behind himself, and gasped when he saw the wave. Connie looked back as well and developed an expression of horror and fear on her face.

Bill chuckled, grinning maniacally. He held the wave over their heads, not dropping it yet. However, he was still tired, so the wave slowly, bit by bit, started decreasing in size, but it was too slow to be noticeable. Steven reached up and touched the wave, awed by it. Connie was freaking out, trying to paddle to a safe distance.

"Oh, what's the matter, Connie?" the demon wondered, watching her paddle away. "I thought you wanted some water of fun in your life!"

He also watched Steven, becoming a bit confused again. The boy was awed by his power, and not fearful of it...

He felt that little feeling again, but he shook himself out of it, focusing on Connie once more.

"I..." she watched it, and saw it wasn't moving. Not really, at least. It was safe. But she shook her head, "That wave could come down at any minute! Steven, you gotta get out from under there!"

"Don't worry, Connie!" Steven smiled.

Bill raised his only eyebrow. He kept the wave from falling, but it was still dwindling. It wasn't really that huge anymore. He sighed. He had wanted to cause a tsunami of some kind, and get them trapped under it too for some reason. But why didn't he? was it because it'd cause too much damage too soon?

Connie sighed and swam up to Steven, "You're crazy, you know that?"

"I'm not crazy. You just don't know how waves work. This one isn't big enough to hurt us... even with the size it used to be, it wasn't big enough!" Steven grinned.

Connie pursed her lips, seeming to think on this. Bill deadpanned. He groaned, and then he finally made the now medium-sized wave fall on them, thoroughly soaking them even more than they already were. Steven chuckled, surfacing from it with ease, "See! told ya!"

The girl gasped, and soon started laughing too, having resurfaced as well. Bill crossed his arms, not wanting to laugh and keeping a grumpy look on his eye, but eventually he did. Laughter was infectious, he learned that day.

Steven then splashed Bill. Unfortunately, right in the eye. Bill recoiled, holding his eye. It stung viciously. He screeched, flailing his legs about and kicking up the water, "Owww, my eye! why?! why does that always happen to me?!"

Steven winced, "I really didn't think you'd get hit there... hold on..." he then whistled, and, seemingly out of nowhere, Lion appeared on the shoreline. Steven dove into his mane, and came out a minute later, holding a giant... thing. It looked like a one-eyed goggle. "Don't ask me why this is in there, I don't know."

He got into the water again and handed it to Bill. Lion roared and vanished again. Bill soon recovered, and was blind for a few seconds. He huffed and puffed as he reached for the goggle. His vision cleared up and he grabbed it and put it on, "T..thanks."

Steven smiled, silently returning the thanks. The demon, meanwhile, knew he was wearing a hand-me-down, but he didn't care. It was either this or get his eye destroyed again. And, as payback, he splashed Steven. The boy feigned death at this splash, rather dramatically too.

Connie laughed, and Bill also pointed and laughed at Steven. She then noticed how Bill looked wearing the goggle and laughed even harder, "You look... ridiculous!"

The triangle grinned at Connie, taking the statement in good nature this time. Any other time he would've flipped out. He probably _did_ look ridiculous with this cycloptic goggle on, but he couldn't get a good look at himself right now. The water was rippling too much for it to properly reflect any of them.

Steven soon "recovered" and splashed Connie, who splashed him back. He then came up with an idea, his eyes lighting up. "Oh, I know what we should play! Marco Polo!" he suggested.

"In the ocean?" Connie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Steven cheered, raising his arms up. He didn't see the huge problem with it.

"I'd... I think I'd like that... how does it go, exactly?" Bill was embarrassed even asking the question. He was supposed to know lots of things. But he also supposed this was inevitable; he had ignored quite a bit of human culture and some of its games, having decided they weren't worth his time. He only focused on the psychology and philosophy, so he could see exactly which strings to pull and when to pull them. Now though... well, he was starting to regret it. But he shoved that down soon enough. He'd never let them know this. Especially not Steven.

"Well," Steven began explaining, "one person is Polo, and the rest are Marco. The Polo closes his eyes—or, in your case, eye—and swims around, calling for Marco. Marcos always have to reply with Polo, and the first person to be tagged by the Polo becomes the Polo. It's really fun!" he smiled.

"But it'd be hard to play in an ocean, if you're the Polo. One person could be going one direction, and one person could be going the other," Connie countered, sighing.

The demon mulled over what they both said, muttering to himself, "So this game is like relying on your other senses then?" he couldn't help feeling the slightest bit evil again. He had the idea to lead them far from shore and deeper into the reaches of the ocean. But then he decided not to, for a reason he had yet to know besides the fact that it was somewhat dimwitted and was a shaky, unfinished plan to begin with. He shrugged eventually, directing this towards Connie and climbing back onto his board, "Let's at least try this, kid. It may be even more fun!"

The girl thought on this, and eventually nodded.

"Alright," Steven smiled, and then shouted, "not it!"

"Not it!" Connie said less than half a second later. She smiled at Bill, "You're it!"

"Heh... alright then..." he closed his eye, and used his magic to move his board around, and after a while shouted, "Marco!"

"Polo!" shouted the two at the same time, from the same general direction.

Bill began wading on his board in that direction, and then shouted again, "Marco!"

"Polo!" the two replied, Steven sounding more to his left, and Connie more to his right.

Suddenly, Bill heard Connie shout, sounding rather upset, "Hey! Steven! fish out of water!"

"...what...?" Bill was confused _again_ , and it showed, however much it could with his eye still closed. He was irritated by how little he knew about this game, if that even was a part of the game.

"Steven's cheating!" she explained, and then argued, "he's out of the water! he should be the next Polo!"

"Nah, my feet are still in the water! see?" he jumped, and it made a splashing sound as he landed.

The demon "looked" in Steven's general direction. He wasn't able to see anything, obviously; for some reason, he was (still) playing by the rules. He then sighed, crossing his arms, "So what's it gonna be? is the kid gonna be Polo now? or do I keep at this?"

 _Apparently_ , he mentally noted, _the Marcos aren't allowed to be out of the water..._ he then hummed with some thought.

Connie shook her head at Bill to answer him,—though he was clearly unable to see—cupped her hands and shouted, "Steven! the rules—!"

"Okay, fine, I'll be Polo!" the boy sighed and closed his eyes, heading into the water again, "Marco!"

The demon then opened his eye and jumped off his board and into the water without hesitation, and answered back, swimming a little ways away from the boy and Connie, dragging the board with him via magic, "Polo!"

"Polo!" the girl said after him, grinning and swimming away from Bill.

"Marco!" Steven called, heading, clearly, after Bill.

"Polo!" Bill swam farther away from Steven. He was, unintentionally or not, physically distancing the boy from the shore. And Connie too.

The girl shouted the word a moment after Bill. Steven was hot on pursuit. Bill kept swimming, grinning all of a sudden. Not just because this was fun, but because of something more sinister. The demon was aching to cause at least a little bit of chaos again, even defaulting to and augmenting the plan he previously tossed away. Long story short, he was going to scare the kids out of their skins...

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed this! Ace plays a remarkable Connie, doesn't she? and she plays a wonderful Steven as well!  
So.. yeah. :3  
This scene is so adorable, and it would be completely adorable if... well, ya know, Bill wasn't such a psychopath. XP  
So, I'll see you with the next chapter next week! but if you have reviews for me, then you'll see me whenever you make one. Ta ta!


	10. Marco Polo Gone Wrong

**A/N:** Sorry, I almost forgot to update today! c'mon, out, Chapter Ten! woooooot! this is, by far, one of the longest chapters in the story so far. SO MANY things happen here, it may even be considered a Wham Chapter.

Before I start, I would like to say my thanks once again to those who favorited and followed me and this story, as well as reviewed. I'm glad you love it that much. And here's a reply to yet another guest reviewer!

/Punch the peanut: Thank you. And of course there'll be more ((at least until it ends of course)). You reviewed right when I updated actually. Please note that the story will be updated every Saturday.

Now that that's out of the way, I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Ten: Marco Polo Gone Wrong**

The three were still playing a fine game of Marco Polo, laughing a little.

"Marco!" Steven was a little off course, heading more towards the shore than towards Bill.

"Polo!" Bill frowned. The boy was heading the wrong direction. He silently groaned to himself.

The water was pushing Steven back. For a few moments, the boy was submerged, before he broke free, gasping for breath. In these gasps, he yelled, "MARCO!"

Connie watched from a safe distance, saying "Polo" in a soft breath so he would hear it but not quite as much. She knew he was after Bill, not her, and she smirked. But she was getting concerned...

Concern, however, wasn't in the demon's dictionary. Bill also smirked at this, but it had a psychopathic quality to it that went unnoticed. He shouted again, cupping his hands, now quite a distance away from both Connie and Steven, "POLO!"

Steven swam as fast as he could towards the triangle, against the barrage of waves crashing against him.

The girl's eyes were wide. "STEVEN! BILL! YOU'RE GETTING TOO FAR FROM SHORE!" Connie shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth so they could hear her better. She was standing in the water, and it reached her waist. How far they were out... it was impossible to tell where the bottom was.

And the waves were even harder against those who wanted to return to the shore.

Bill chuckled, having stopped swimming. He yelled back at her, "You worry too much! we'll be fine!"

Well, _he'd_ be fine. He wasn't so sure about Steven. But he'd probably be fine too. Not that he cared.

"Yeah, Connie! I trust Bill!" Steven managed to shout, which kinda confused Bill himself. It again didn't last.

"No, guys; I'll go get a lifeguard or something! you're in too deep!" Connie then grabbed her board and ran up the shore, and, by the rules of the game, would be known as a fish out of water.

Bill watched Steven flounder towards him, grinning. He was definitely scaring Connie. At least he was scaring _one_ of them, and it satisfied his urge. He stayed out there though, but paddled just a tiny bit closer to the kid.

Steven felt he was getting close. "Marco!"

"Polo!" Bill grinned.

Connie ran through the town, looking for anyone who could help. She went to the town's pool, which was open that day, and actually jam-packed, a stark contrast to the beach.

"Lifeguard, lifeguard!" she shouted, and spotted one, sitting atop her little high chair. She proceeded to explain everything.

The lifeguard in question was a redhead, who wore a blue baseball cap with a similarly-colored pine tree etched onto it and a one-piece plaid swimsuit. Her hair flowed down to her waist. She stared down at Connie, becoming slightly concerned when she took in everything the girl said, "Oh, that's no good, man. I'll come help!"

"Yeah, Steven's in real trouble! he's way out there..." Connie neglected to explain about Bill. She felt Steven had that honor. She hardly understood the little dude herself, and didn't want to give the wrong vibe about him or whatever. Plus, this girl might bail on her if she started blabbing about a talking and walking triangle with one eye.

The teenager nodded, and then climbed down from the tower, joining Connie. She then looked over at the other guards and whistled. Once she had attracted one of them over to her, she explained, "I'm taking a quick break to help someone out over in the beach. Think you can take over for a bit?"

The guy nodded, and answered with a New Jersey accent, "Sure thing," and began climbing up the tower to keep watch on things.

"Thanks, dude!" she then turned back towards Connie, a cool but concerned smile on her face, "lead the way."

Connie ran down to the beach, followed by the redhead, and then pointed to the ocean, where Steven and Bill waded, far out from the shore.

"Marco!" Steven called again, and it echoed across the waves, back to Connie and Wendy.

"Polo!" Bill called back, which made Wendy's hair stand on end. She knew that voice...

"Oh, yeah," Connie began, "he took a game of Marco Polo way too far. Forgot to mention that part." She didn't specify who it was with, however.

Wendy soon snapped herself out of that trance though, before Connie noticed, and shook her head softly, "I see... no one should play that game in the ocean, man..."—to which Connie nodded with fervor.

In her head, she was now thinking of how she could rescue them both. She was strong, sure,—her dad's apocalyptic training made sure of that—but she wasn't sure if she could brace those waves. They looked really strong and wild.

Connie handed her her boogie board, "Here, this might help. I don't know if it will though..."

Wendy took the board, and gave Connie her hat, "It's good enough, dude. Thanks." She tossed the board into the water and then hopped onto it. She lay down and then proceeded to arm-paddle fairly quickly towards the two. Connie watched, holding Wendy's hat against her chest, eyes wide with and body language conveying panic and hope.

Steven finally tagged Bill and opened his eyes, "Haha! I got ya!" a second later he gasped, looking around, "Look how far away the shore is!" Steven shuddered, and began to think of a plan... he and Bill could do what he did with Connie once...

He could form a bubble around them, and then they could work their way up to the shore, walking. But would that work, in the water?

"Yeah, yeah. Far away from the shore," Bill repeated lackadaisically, as if he didn't care. Which he didn't. He crossed his arms, "Yes, we are."

Steven frowned slightly, eyes widening. The demon grinned for a split second. He was finally scaring Steven. And now wanted to scare him more. He then read Steven's thoughts, and frowned, "What if that bubble pops, kid?"

"If it does, we'll still be closer to the shore, and the waves will push us back home!" Steven explained with hope, now smiling a little, to which Bill responded with a twitch of his brow. The boy soon began to second guess this, "But then again... what if we can't get it to move? or worse, it brings us farther down?" the smile was gone now.

"Exactly..." Bill's frown deepened, even though inwardly he was enjoying sapping the hope away from the usually cheerful child. He sighed, pretending every emotion that was appropriate to this situation, "It's a fool's errand, kid. Too much trial and error that could mean our lives if done wrong."

Wendy fought against the waves the best she could, the board she was on providing little strength, but it was helping. Soon she was only a few yards away.

"You can shrink, right?" Steven asked quickly, before he changed his mind, shaking his head. "You know what, I know you're going to hate this, but—" right then and there, he bubbled Bill up, and held him over his head, up above the waves. His legs were getting tired... and he felt a pang of regret as he saw Bill's board drift out, now that the demon's concentration on it was broken. Oh, well. At least he still had his own.

Bill growled, pressing against the bubble with his hands; he couldn't break free no matter what. He let out a small, albeit slightly teed, "What the...?"

Steven was right. He hated this. Just _what_ was the kid thinking?

Wendy was pushed back a little ways away by the rampant waves, but she didn't let this stop her, still pressing on with a determined expression on her face. She wasn't going to let Connie down. Wasn't going to let Steven and his playmate drown. Hell, she survived the first two phases of Weirdmageddon. She'd certainly survive this.

"I'm sorry, Bill; I'm just gonna... hold on..." he pressed the bubble against his stomach, squishing it a bit; not a big problem as Bill was as skinny as a pencil. He saw and then began to paddle towards the redhead woman, holding an arm out for her to grab.

Bill grumbled quietly,—all he could see was disgusting skin, and the fact that he couldn't get out of this claustrophobic space was pretty annoying as well—as Wendy took deep breaths and grabbed the boy's hand. She, of course, couldn't see what Steven was holding. But she somewhat knew. He had to have been with _someone_ anyway to play a game of Marco Polo. Plus... that _voice_...

She shook herself out of the trance again and began to pull him onto her board. It was hard, but not too hard, and then she grabbed the other one, turned this board around and started making her way back to the shoreline. The journey back was much more difficult, the waves pushing against her. Some water got in her mouth and she quickly coughed it out.

Steven helped the best he could, but there was little he could do to help. Wendy kept paddling against the force of the waves, thankful nonetheless for Steven's help. Soon they were a few yards away from the shore, and Connie could now properly see them. She was smiling with great gratitude. Steven planted his feet on the sea floor and walked the rest of the way up, dragging Wendy on her board along with him. When he finally reached dry ground, he let go of the board, and popped the bubble holding Bill.

"Steven! I'm so glad you're okay!" Connie shouted, the pine tree hat now atop her head. She ran to him, and hugged him tight, which he gladly returned.

"I should have listened to you..." he muttered.

Wendy panted, kneeling a little and staring at the sand, "Whew... you did it, Wendy..."

Bill shook himself, and then stretched to loosen up his limbs. He crossed his arms, staring at the two hugging, and then glanced over in the redhead's direction. His eye widened. He never thought she'd be here.

Wendy finally looked up and her expression hardened when she saw Bill, absolutely ignoring how ridiculous he looked wearing that goggle. She never thought he'd be here, even though she heard that voice. He was a statue when she last saw him. Neither said a word just yet, just taking to staring each other down. A few whispers passed between Steven and Connie before they separated.

"Uh, here's your hat back," Connie handed Wendy her hat, smiling cheerfully and gratefully.

Wendy snapped out of her trance again, and took her hat back, placing it on her head, "Thanks, man." She then stood up, hands on her hips as she resumed the gaze.

"Bill, are you alright?" Steven asked softly, now realizing he had forgotten to ask when they got back to land, overcome with emotion.

Bill glanced at Steven, and nodded, "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, kid," and also resumed his gaze.

 _What is she/he doing here..?_ they thought at the same time, narrowing their eyes simultaneously too.

"Do you two know each other or something?" Connie asked softly, standing by Wendy, frowning as she glanced between the two. Steven, standing by Bill, did the same.

"Yeah," Wendy answered with a slight frown on her face, grabbing her hair and wringing out the water, "we do. We've got _quite_ a history..."

Bill merely nodded and then glared at her for a split second before he fixed it up into a barely neutral expression. He didn't want Wendy ruining this for him, and he didn't want to ruin it himself.

"Oh? details, details!" Steven said, gasping, somehow completely ignoring the dirty looks and imagining the two as friends.

Wendy looked at Steven, the side of her lip twitching. She shook her head, "You don't wanna know. Trust me on that, man."

Bill felt relieved at this. The fact that Wendy wouldn't tell Steven what he did was a serendipity to him. But imaginations ran wild with children... but, knowing Steven, he'd probably just imagine a formerly friendly relationship turning sour over the simplest things. With Connie, however...

He spared the girl a quick glance.

Connie seemed confused, "But he was a statue... right, Steven?" she looked to Steven, frowning.

"Uh, yeah, that's right. He was. What's your point?" he asked, glancing towards her.

"He wasn't before, man... he was alive..." Wendy stated simply, deciding to be vague for a reason. These two young teenagers simply didn't need to know the horrors of Weirdmageddon.

Bill stayed quiet, narrowing his eye farther. But he was again grateful. With her unwillingness to provide specific information, his plan would succeed. Definitely and absolutely. And she didn't even know it.

"And then you froze him, right?" Connie asked, frowning, unsure how she felt about this. Wendy nodded, but it was more of a ghost of a nod. She had that expression on her face, much like that of a veteran who suffered from PTSD.

"How did you become a statue, anyway?" Steven asked, realizing he had never asked Bill that either.

Bill unintentionally glared at Steven, feeling angry again. The feeling of vengeance crept upon him again, and one of the people who'd had a hand in destroying him was here, and was an easy picking. But he soon snapped himself out of this, realizing he couldn't kill her right now, groaning a little and clenching his fist. He took a deep breath and then let it out with this statement, underlying it with a bit of unintentional venom, "Like Wendy said, _kid_ , you don't need to know."

And it was said in a way that highly recommended that Steven or Connie not ask any more questions about it. Or _else_...

"But why did you freeze him?" Connie asked Wendy, ignoring Bill's threat. Steven freaked out inwardly, and interrupted softly,

"Hey, hey, that doesn't matter, Connie. We're here now, and it doesn't matter where we came from, what we may or may not have done."

Connie looked at him, and then nodded, resigning somewhat. Bill stared—no, _glared_ —at the girl for a while, wondering if he should carry out the "or else", but then sighed, rubbing at his top point and losing the glare, trying to get his mind off this. He was, again, grateful that Steven interrupted. He nodded then, but didn't say a word.

Wendy allowed a small smile, and she agreed, summing up what Bill was probably thinking in one word, "True..."

She then sighed inwardly of relief, _Finally... we're off the subject..._

However, Bill knew Connie's curiosity wasn't gonna be squelched so easily. She'd find ways to figure this out, even if she had to journey out to Gravity Falls herself. But she couldn't do that without help. And he _certainly_ wasn't going to help her. He _couldn't_ anyway.

"So, uh... where'd you get your hat?" Connie asked Wendy.

Wendy's smile turned genuine. She seemed much more willing to explain this, "From a friend. Dipper Pines. We traded hats when he had to leave Gravity Falls."

Bill stayed silent, floating around. A rather sick and old seagull flew across his line of sight, and he narrowed his eye at it. It would be the perfect way to release at least a _little_ bit of his anger. So he concentrated, and his magic started strangling it to death. It soon fell into the waters, dead, and the whole scene looked like it just had a fatal heart attack. The demon sighed, a bit calmer now, and smirked a little.

"Gravity Falls?" Connie asked softly. "I feel like I've heard of this before..."

"That's cool! Connie, we should get hats, and trade them any time we meet!" Steven said, grinning and hugging her. The girl laughed.

Wendy's eyes widened, and she caught Connie's attention again, "Wait... you _have_?"

Bill glanced over at the girl, waiting for her answer. He again rolled his eye when he saw the two hug. He still thought it was sappy and pathetic.

"I feel like I have, at least. Gravity Falls, Gravity Falls, Gravity Falls..." Connie frowned. "Where have I heard that name before?" she asked herself.

"It'll come back to you later!" Steven told her, smiling.

"Maybe it will," Wendy smiled as well. "But I suggest you not research too much into it. There's a reason I'm not telling you much."

Bill smirked slightly. Again, this was helping him. Connie frowned. She would ask why, but felt she would find out when she remembered where she had heard the name. Wendy sighed of relief, glad that the questions about the place were over; she gave Connie and Steven back their boards, realizing she had forgotten to give them back in the first place. She glanced at Bill again, suppressing a shudder. Bill, meanwhile, suppressed a glare. He looked over at the kids, and decided to speak up again, "So, what's next?"

"Well," Connie began, taking back the board, "we lost one of the boards... so I'm going to have to tell my parents that. And it's getting late, anyway. I gotta head home. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow, Steven!" Connie smiled and waved, taking back Steven's board as well, and then walked away.

Steven sighed, murmuring a goodbye, as he watched her leave, saddened by her disappearance. Bill waved back, grinning, "Bye, Connie! it's been fun! really!"

Wendy also waved, shouting out her goodbyes. The girl seemed nice. She regretted not asking for her phone number so they could talk more. But Beach City was a small town, so, provided that she actually went out frequently and not solely because of school and her job, she'd be bound to run into her again.

Yes... she, regrettably or not, had turned into a sort of recluse. She sighed, and then turned to Steven, smiling at him to comfort him, "There's always a tomorrow, dude."

And then Bill actually agreed, still grinning, "Definitely!"

Wendy stared at him and nodded this shock away. She knew why he was suddenly buttering up to her. To make himself look good in front of Steven. She wanted to frown, but kept smiling. She wanted now to explain, but she said nothing. The boy didn't need his innocence destroyed. Which, again, was what Bill... well, you get it.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's it for Chapter Ten! give it a round of applause! **claps too**  
Again, Ace plays a wonderful Steven and Connie! and I played Bill, as well as the wham character whose name starts with the first letter of "wham"! I hope I played her well! nyeh heh heh, bet you weren't expecting that, were you? anyway, I hope you enjoyed!


	11. Dinner Time

**A/N:** MOAR! oh? what's that? you want more chapters? well, here's one! Chapter Eleven! Chapter Onety-one! hehah! I hope you enjoy.

* * *

 **A Triangle in** **the Stars  
** **Chapter Eleven: Dinner Time**

Bill and Wendy stared at the boy, waiting for something to do. Steven smiled at them, "So, uh... let's just dry off and chill, or whatever. I'm dead tired." He yawned, and glanced at the sky. Dinner would be soon.

"Alright, dude," the redhead nodded, "I'm all for it."

Never mind the fact that the lifeguard she left in charge was probably waiting for her to come back and relieve him of his duties. Bill nodded as well, "It's been a rather long day, kids. We're due for some relaxation."

And this was said with no malicious intent behind it. He really _was_ tired. That meltdown really did a number on him, and his albeit small uses of his powers didn't help much either.

Steven sat on the sand and watched the sky in silence now. Bill mimicked what he did, sitting in silence. Only he crossed his arms, watching the sky with a narrowed eye. Wendy sat down as well, watching Steven with a concerned and slightly uncomfortable expression on her face.

"Chilling. Chilling on the beach with my pals, Bill and—" he frowned and raised his head to get a look at the redhead. "Did I get your name?"

"Wendy. Wendy Corduroy," she smiled, erasing the discomfort and concern from her face. "It's nice to meet you, Steven." She then glanced at his gem, but largely ignored it. She'd honestly seen weirder things.

Bill was sullenly silent, though he was mulling the word "pal" over. After everything, this kid still considered him a friend? his eye was wide for a moment, as if touched, but then he scoffed inwardly soon enough, _Idiot..._

"Wendy. Well, Wendy, welcome to Beach City! ...assuming you're new to the weirdness here."

"I'd been here for quite a bit, seen lots of weirdness before. Nothing really fazes me anymore," the redhead admitted, still smiling. "Thanks for the welcome though."

"You're welcome!" he grinned, and then frowned. "Uh, do you like hugs?"

"Sure, man!" that smile got bigger, but then it flickered, "Why'd you ask though?"

Bill tore his attention away from the sky and settled his eye on those two, glaring slightly.

"Uh... some people around here don't really like hugs," Steven shot a sad glance at Bill, frowning a little. He shook it off and smiled, and went to hug Wendy.

Wendy hugged him back, "Oh. I see." She shot a glare at Bill, who happily returned it. The demon soon sighed, thinking things over.

He let go after a minute, with a sigh. "Did you know Bill before he was like this?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, man..." she answered. That was the only thing she said though.

"Oh... did he like hugs back then?" Steven thought Bill once was kinder, nicer.

Wendy shook her head. It was then that she knew what Steven had meant. She corrected what she said, "No. He was always like that..." and she thought to herself, _and worse..._

"Oh... but he must have been different before he met you, then. He's not a bad guy, underneath that tough skin of his," Steven smiled. "I know, I've seen change in him firsthand!" he had no idea that it was he who caused it.

Wendy was downright shocked, "Bill? change?"

She couldn't say a thing other than that. She, mouth slightly open and eyes wide, glanced at Bill, who narrowed his eye and tensed his body language, glancing away and askance. He growled out in a low murmur, "Don't read too much into it, kids..."

But he had to admit. He'd become _slightly_ less, in Steven's terms... "mean"... since he washed up here. He didn't know what it was. But he hated it.

"Yeah... uh, you're a lifeguard, right?" Steven asked, frowning, looking at the sky again. Dinner would be soon. Maybe the Gems would be back early...

Wendy's eyes went even wider. "Oh, yeah! I am," she sighed, realizing she had forgotten that she had left one of the guards to take over her shift. She didn't particularly act on it though. The redhead wanted to stick around a little while longer, _especially_ since she was distrusting of Bill and didn't want Steven to be alone with him. The demon rolled his eye at her thoughts, though they were all completely right and proper.

"Well, we gotta head home soon for dinner... I'm starving..." he patted his stomach, which promptly growled. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah.." Wendy frowned, "maybe..."

Bill grinned, which caused the redhead to frown even more.

"Alright!" Steven got up and waved. "C'mon, Billy!" he called as he set off into the opposite direction of the sunset.

Bill growled, wanting to protest against that name again, but held it in. He got up and proceeded to float after Steven, but Wendy soon got in front of him, pointing a finger at him, warning him in a low voice, "I swear, if you do _anything_ to Steven..."

"Heh, like _you'd_ do anything," Bill brushed her off, grinning. "I'm still more powerful, even in this current state." He then lowered his voice, so that Steven wouldn't hear and so that it'd come off more sinister, "I could vaporize you without even batting an eye..."

Wendy didn't even flinch or falter or cower. She dropped her hand, frown deepening, glaring at him. Bill returned the glare, hands on his "hips". The redhead would wonder why he didn't just kill her already, but she realized that Bill wasn't really a happy-go-lucky killer. She was still standing merely because the demon wouldn't be able to cover it up. She released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

They stood there, in silence, still glaring at each other...

Steven had realized Bill wasn't following him, and had come back to find the two staring at each other. He sighed.

"Hey! lovebirds! we have better things to do than stare at each other!" he grabbed Bill's hand and started pulling him along.

"We're not lovebirds!" both Wendy and Bill shouted, highly offended. The demon was apparently too offended to notice he was being carried away. The redhead put her hands on her hips, frowning and staring after the two.

Steven let go of Bill after they were a few yards away. "Sorry, Bill... but I'm really hungry. Like, starving, almost. Do you have any ideas for dinner? maybe... can you cook?" he suggested. Steven had been cooking all his own food for the past week or so.

The demon thought on this, and then nodded, "I can try. But I won't guarantee any of it will be any good."

He immediately thought of putting poison in the food, but pushed that thought out of his mind. Not yet. Or ever. He wouldn't be able to see the look on Steven's face when he betrays him, after all. Wendy kept staring after them, shaking her head, and then she sighed and proceeded to walk back to the pool, and then, realizing it was almost time for the pool to close, broke out into a sprint.

Steven smiled, "Thanks, Bill. Other than the lunch Sadie packed us for that picnic today, I've mainly been eating stuff I can cook in the microwave. Hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, popcorn..." he shook his head. "So it's a really big help!"

Bill stared at him, a flicker of _something_ flashing in his eye for just a nanosecond. He scowled all of a sudden, but couldn't prepare a nasty retort to go with it. Instead, he just said, "Think nothing of it."

Steven said nothing to that, wallowing in his hunger. He fell on the couch when he got to the Temple, at last, but didn't sleep, knowing things needed to be done. He just rested there. Bill scanned the boy for a while before he took off the cycloptic eye goggles, gently tossing them on the couch, and headed into the kitchen, getting out various cooking equipment with his magic. Steven eventually stood and went to the bathroom.

"I'm going to be taking a shower real quick. Get off the sand and such," he smiled at Bill, and then there was the sound of water, and after, the sound of a door closing.

Bill nodded, and then set the equipment on the stove. He floated over to the fridge, opened it, and saw there was nothing but popcorn, hot dogs, all the things Steven mentioned earlier. He frowned, murmuring, "Oh... well, this simply won't do..."

In a rare act of kindness, he snapped his fingers and made steak and potatoes appear. They were going to have baked potatoes and steak for dinner. He prepared the potatoes and cooked them using a small microwave oven. He knew how long they usually took, so he sped up the process. He tossed the steak into the already greased pan and turned up the fire. For someone who'd never cooked and never needed to cook, he was a bit of a pro at it. He blamed it on observation.

Steven came out after half an hour, in pajamas, amazed. "What's cooking?" he asked, taking a deep breath. The air smelled amazing.

"You'll see, kid. I think you'll like it," the demon grinned at him. The steak was about done and so were the potatoes. The boy grinned back and got out two paper plates, some plastic utensils, and two real knives for the steak. And soon there was a ding from the oven. Bill turned off the fire and the oven, grinning. This made him feel good for some reason. A reason he couldn't quite figure out... and this time, instead of vanishing, it stuck with him, in a small corner of his brain.

Steven then sat on the couch, excited for this meal, for something different.

"Order up!" the demon chuckled. He floated the steak and potatoes over into the plates, and sliced into and dressed up the potatoes with butter. He glanced over at Steven, and then he floated to him, levitating the food over. He snapped two pieces of buttered toast into existence too, and set one on each plate. Bill soon reached Steven and gave him one of the plates and some of the utensils, before he sat down beside the boy with his own.

Steven dug in immediately, not as messy as Amethyst, but not quite as clean and neat as Pearl. After scarfing down the potatoes and some of the steak and toast, he looked to Bill with admiration.

"Thank you so much... this is amazing!" he exclaimed. "We could start a business or something!" he laughed, realizing he had hardly any such talent. "Or... you could..."

Bill grinned, his ego swelling up with the praise, "Heheh. I could, couldn't I?"

He ate politely, ignoring how Steven had little manners. He was slowly starting to get confused again though. That show of kindness back there... it wasn't him... and he didn't have to do this. And yet he did. And he had no idea why.

"Yeah, you could! you'd be great! man... if I could cook like you..." Steven shook his head, not sure what he would do with that power.

The demon then chuckled, "Oh, kid! you're quite funny with those grand delusions! I'm not sure you'll even have a chance!" and that was it. The mean Bill was back. But he wasn't quite sure if he wanted it this way...

 _HA! I'm just kidding myself! of course I want it this way!_ he assured himself, and then kept eating. Steven didn't respond, his mouth too full of steak to answer. Bill watched the boy, eating still. He huffed, almost taking into consideration whether he should make the boy choke on the food. But no. He wouldn't. Because of course he'd miss out on that wonderful, pained face Steven would have when he betrays the kid. The boy finished with the rest of the food without a word, and then yawned, setting the plate on the table.

"I'm gonna go hit the hay. Could you clean up?" Steven asked, his eyes drooping. He was already heading upstairs.

"Sure. Why not?" Bill frowned after him, having finished eating as well. He didn't want to do this. He wondered whether Pearl had felt the same way every time she had to clean up a mess. But for him, it was easy. With a snap of his fingers, the place was all cleaned up and the pans and oven were put away. He chuckled, wondering why he even complained, and then yawned. This reminded him of his own tiredness, and his eye even drooped like Steven's.

Was he really getting sleepy? this wasn't good. And his tiredness from using his powers would prevent him from turning another one of Steven's dreams into nightmares. He looked up towards the attic, eye narrowed.

Steven was already asleep, in his bed, all curled up within his blankets. Bill floated up towards the attic, and yawned again. He watched the boy's chest heave as he breathed. The demon then remembered. He was supposed to tell him where he came from. But he decided it'd wait till tomorrow. They were both too tired, as hard as it was for Bill to believe it applied to himself too. He settled into bed, next to one of Steven's stuffed animals, and lay there. Eventually, his eye fluttering closed, he fell into a dreamless sleep...

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaaaand there's Chapter Eleven! I hope you enjoyed it! I provided Wendy and Bill, and Ace was Steven. She was wonderful! and I hope you think this chapter was wonderful too! by the way, this is one of those pivotal chapters. Just letting ya know. :3  
And, with that, I'll see you next week with the next one! unless, of course, you have some reviews to send my way. X3  
P.S.: This chapter contains an aneurysm moment - something that is now considered "moot" or "funny" because of an episode or other canon material that came out after that something. I'll see if you can find it. XD I'll give you a hint: this was RP'd way before Summer of Steven, and the episode in particular is near the end of that event. XP


	12. The Decision

**A/N:** AND WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE?! an early chapter update? why, that's unheard-of! but here we are with Chapter Twelve! this has some Wham value too, despite it being one of the shortest chapters, or perhaps the shortest chapter! only 552 words, and that's counting the titles.  
Well, enough talk. Enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twelve: The Decision**

It was late at night. Wendy had had to stay behind and clean up since she had taken too long, and thus she was the very last to leave. She locked up the pool, now dressed in her usual wear and shouldering a rucksack containing her wet swimsuit and other stuff, and carried along her way home, thinking about Steven and Bill. She frowned, gazing up at the starry sky as she walked now. It was a rather long walk to her home, but she didn't mind. More exercise.

Plus, Beach City was quite safe nowadays, what with no sights of those Gem Monsters she'd, from afar, seen the Crystal Gems fight sometimes. It was pretty peaceful anyways, with very little crime. So she hadn't a worry about getting mugged or anything. She was pretty sure, however, no one would even try with her, unless they wanted a trip to the hospital.

She then hummed with thought, placing her mind's attention back onto the demonic triangle. She could barely believe Bill was back. But he was, and he'd found someone to hang around—that boy, Steven... and, worse, he didn't seem to know any better. He knew not what Bill could and was willing to do.

She began wondering why she didn't tell him and Connie. But then she remembered once again. It would scar them horribly. She shook her head again, and sighed. Soon, she found herself at her doorstep. Wendy looked around and then unlocked the door, heading into her rented home. She had the place to herself, which was another perk of taking this job. But she wasn't really a slob about it. Not like she was back home. She frowned again, closing the door behind her and tossing her rucksack next to the couch. She'd wash the swimsuit later.

The redhead sat on the seat, in the darkness, in silence, still thinking about Bill Cipher. That boy was in serious trouble, but she then thought about what he said about the sadistic triangle. That he was changing...

Could it be possible?

The wind began to pick up outside, and she turned to look out the window. Wendy's brow furrowed, and she slowly shook her head. Bill, from what she made Ford tell her, was a fantastic actor. He was, if anything, _pretending_ to be changing. And got Steven to believe it. But why was she so conflicted about this whole thing? was she somewhat convinced Bill could change also?

She put her head in her hands, listening to the wind drum against her windowpane. Listening to her own thoughts. Trying to decide what to do. A few minutes passed, and she brought her face out of her hands, her gaze hardening. She'd made her decision. She couldn't be too safe or sure about this situation. So Wendy took out her cell, and began to make a call. It rung for a while as she placed it up to her ear, and as soon as she heard someone pick it up, she sighed, brushing some hair strands out of her face, "Stan, Ford... you won't believe this. But we've got a problem..." and then she looked at her television with a determined, grim expression on her face, "a _big_ one."

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm proud of this one, as I am of the others of course. I think I pulled Wendy off well. By the way, this is a solo chapter. I RP'd/wrote this one by myself. X3  
I hope you all enjoyed! Also, I just have one question: do you agree with Wendy? or not? state why! XD  
And, if you don't have any reviews to leave, I'll see you Saturday with the next one, ya know, since this one's so short!


	13. The Mission

**A/N:** Hello again! I'm here with the final chapter of the double-chapter week! don't be alarmed by the word "final". There's more where this came from! in any case, I bet you all were wondering in the back of your minds where the Crystal Gems were. Well, this chapter will answer that question! :3  
I hope you enjoy this ((rather important)) filler!

Also, KittyCat151, something went wrong. I got your review in my email, but I can't reply to you and it's not showing up on fanfiction. You might wanna submit it again. And, a few more guests reviewed the previous chapter, and I'm again assuming that they're one and the same. I'm gonna reply anyway.

/QWERTY: Thanks. And, as I had stated before, I'm doing these chapters either weekly or biweekly. Please don't rush me. Be grateful that it's weekly. Some people abandon their stories or don't update them for months at a time.  
/thisissoawesome: Thank you so much!  
/Nyan cat: Of course. I'm glad you think it's fantastic. Sometimes you can't have extremely long chapters, though. I felt it was perfect to explain what was going on in Wendy's head.

And now, read on!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirteen: The Mission**

The Crystal Gems were wading through water in a brightly-lit cave, in a particularly beautiful place. It was similar to the Strawberry Fields, but with much more waters. Pearl bit her lip, her eyes wandering around. Garnet took each step carefully, looking down every now and then to see if where she was stepping was safe. It wasn't rare that she had to save Pearl a few times from falling through a hole because the pale white Gem failed to pay attention due to thinking about a certain young boy.

Amethyst trailed along behind them, following Garnet's steps. "So... what are we doing here again?" the purple Gem asked, for maybe the hundredth time.

"We're here to find an ancient Gem artifact that powers up one of our prized Temples, the Zodiac Temple..." Pearl explained, still wading, looking somewhat exasperated. Her tone didn't hold a lot of it, however, or even any excitement, but it was instead somewhat hollow. "The Illictic Cashid (Ill-ick-tick Cash-id)... it had gotten disconnected from its sacred place long ago during the war. And that place has suffered greatly since." She then sighed, "Honestly, I wish you'd remember things more, AmeTHYYYYST!"

She had started sliding into the waters once more because one of her feet had stepped on a weak surface. She was once again saved by Garnet, who pulled her up and set her back on some strong ground. Pearl gasped, and sighed, smiling gratefully at the fusion, who merely returned it with a nod. Amethyst chuckled softly, watching Pearl and Garnet, before slipping and falling herself and almost falling, yelling. Garnet grabbed her hand before the ground swallowed Amethyst completely and set her back on some sturdy ground. She sighed, "Be careful, you two. This is not a laughing matter."

Pearl nodded, staring at the ground. She felt her mind going back to Steven, but she pushed it aside for now and focused on the task at hand. Amethyst kept Garnet's hand, afraid to let go, but embarrassed, feeling like a kindergartner. Garnet kept wading, watching her step still. Pearl trailed behind this time, observing where the fusion stepped so she'd follow along. She sighed soon enough though, her mind going back to Steven once more. Was he alright? they'd been gone for so long...

Soon they reached the end of the tunnel and were finally on dry land. This portion of the area was even more beautiful, with a path weaving through the vibrant gardens, but also more dangerous, Pearl surmised to herself. She backed up against the wall of the entrance, sitting now. She was somewhat tired. Garnet looked around, her eyes narrowed cautiously behind her visor. Amethyst sat down, sighing. They all remained silent for a while, before Pearl finally broke it, eyes half-lidded with some sadness, "I wonder how Steven's doing on his own... it's been far too long.."

Garnet looked at her, but otherwise didn't say a thing. The frown she usually wore slightly deepened and her eyes betrayed some worry too. Not that the others would ever know.

"Yeah, he's probably gotten into trouble by now!" Amethyst exclaimed.

This didn't help Pearl. At all. She gasped and stood up again, declaring, "We have to go back! I have to make sure he's okay!"

Garnet shook her head, but still didn't say anything yet.

"Calm down, Pearl. He's gonna be fine!" Amethyst chuckled.

"How do you know that?" Pearl looked back into the tunnel, wanting to traverse through it back from whence they came. Back to her adopted child. But she then felt a hand settle on her shoulder, and her eyes trailed up to its owner. Garnet.

"You needn't worry so much about Steven, Pearl. He'll be fine, like Amethyst said," the tall Gem assured Pearl, but the latter still wasn't sure, as evident by the still full-blown worry and fear in her eyes.

"Yeah! the sooner we get done with this mission, the sooner we can get back home and see his dead body!" Amethyst rushed forward, laughing.

Pearl paled. She started running the wrong way, back through the cave, wading through the waters a little faster, but Garnet stopped her and brought her back just before she stepped on a failing platform. Garnet also grabbed Amethyst, frowning. She took a deep breath and calmed herself, however.

"That's quite enough. You guys need to believe in Steven a little more," she started. She then looked at Pearl, and said, "We can't go back. We've traveled miles to get to where we are now." She then looked at Amethyst, and said, "And no more death jokes about Steven."

Pearl nodded, though she was still incredibly pale. She glanced towards the cave every now and then, shivering slightly. But Garnet wasn't letting go. Not until they understood.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," Amethyst crossed her arms, giving the ground a dirty look.

"They're not funny," Garnet supplemented, and then she sighed, looking at the both of them now. "Listen, I'm worried too. But I know Steven will be just fine."

"R..really?" Pearl asked, eyebrows knit together with worry. She was going to question it further, but she, at this point, knew that whatever the fusion said had unquestionable quality.

Garnet nodded. She could see the boy right now. Sleeping comfortably. Along with something else. A triangle. The fusion knew about this triangle, this demon. But she also could see several paths into the future. Only one was bad, but it was highly improbable at this point. She had faith in them both, and she smiled a little at that. Amethyst didn't care. She kicked a rock, "Can we go already?"

Garnet frowned. She let them both go. But she said these last few words, glancing at them both, "Let's believe in Steven."

Pearl smiled and nodded, "Alright. I shall."

This didn't mean she wasn't still worried about Steven, however. But she trusted Garnet, and that was all that mattered. The Gem was, matter of fact, one hundred percent right about almost everything she talked about.

"I already was..." Amethyst muttered honestly. She only said what she had to get under Pearl's skin. Garnet sighed a little, shaking her head slightly, and then she continued onwards through the path. Pearl followed behind her, eyes wandering every now and then to the gardens. Amethyst stayed there for a while, but soon enough she followed after them both, sighing sadly.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there it is! now you know what the Crystal Gems are doing! I played Pearl and Garnet, while Ace had Amethyst. She's stated she relates to "On the Run" Amethyst more, so that's a reason the Quartz Gem is not really in full character. But it was nice nonetheless! I hope you enjoyed this, despite its brevity. Rest assured, the next chapter will be a LOT longer.  
So, unless you have any reviews to leave, I shall see you next Saturday! ta ta!


	14. Trouble at the School

**A/N:** IMPORTANT MESSAGE, EVERYONE! the review system is going absolutely crazy. I get messages that I received a review in my email, but, when I go to reply, they aren't there. This is freaky and frustrating, because I really want to be able to discuss these chapters with you. I hope it's fixed at this point, but I recommend you to copy and paste these reviews before you send them so you can resubmit them if they don't show up, and you'll know because I usually get to reviews within at least thirty minutes to an hour. If I don't get back to you within that time frame, or within a day, something went wrong. Just letting you know.

Okay, so it seems that the reviews are only EXTREMELY delayed in getting here; I just looked and saw those reviews... welp, still letting you know the deal.

With that said, the story must go on, a day earlier than usual! we're back to Bill, played by me, and Steven, played wonderfully by Ace, now! this chapter is especially when everything kicks off. Things are going to be heavily serious from here on in. With comic relief added in, of course. X3 SOOOO CHAPTER FOURTEEN! GRACE US WITH YOUR PRESENCE!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Fourteen: Trouble at the School**

Sunlight was pouring in through the windows of Steven's and the Crystal Gems' home. It couldn't be no more than ten in the morning. Bill was still fast asleep, clutching onto one of the stuffed animals for some odd reason and his leg twitching every now and then. Steven soon woke up, yawning and stretching. Bill was still asleep, but his "chest" wasn't heaving. He didn't need to breathe, after all.

Steven looked upon him with a smile. He decided, in payment for dinner last night, he'd make them breakfast. So he slipped out of bed, being careful not to wake the little guy, into his usual clothes, and then into the kitchen, where he began making pancakes. Bill clutched the stuffed animal a little tighter, cuddling with it in his sleep. Of course, had he been awake, he wouldn't have ever dared. He made a little noise, a snore of sorts, as his dark slumber took care of him and assuaged the effects of the meltdown he had yesterday.

Once the pancakes were all warmed up, the boy sprayed whipped cream on them, and placed strawberries on the top, expertly. He scrounged around in the fridge for some sort of dessert sauce to pour on them. Bill twitched some more, a sign that he was waking up. Steven found some hot fudge flavored syrup, and started to squeeze it over the meal, smiling. He then divided it into two, and put one half on a different plate.

The smell of breakfast wafted to the demon's unseen nose. This caused him to stir. His eye fluttered open, and he was back in the waking world. With all the senses that came with it. Like the weight of something he was holding...

He soon realized, and, eye wide, let go of the stuffed animal. He wanted to skewer it too, but he didn't for some reason. He looked towards the kitchen, eye narrowed now.

"Hey! Bill! I made us breakfast!" Steven called, cupping his hands around his mouth.

"Heh, that's rather nice of you," Bill smirked. He then scooted away from the toy, frowning slightly. He was actually kinda embarrassed, especially since he knew Steven had seen him like that, but he hid this expertly. Steven brought up the plates, along with forks and knives, and set them on the bed. He picked up the remote and turned on the TV, to the cable.

"Let's see what's on..." he changed the channel a couple of times, frowning.

Bill yawned, and then suddenly remembered. He smirked a little sadistically, but that quality quickly vanished, and he suggested, "Hey, kid. Tune in to the news channel, why don'tcha?"

He wanted to see the aftermath of the chaos, and maybe even some footage of the chaos unfolding. The demon pointed to the plate and his set of a fork and knife and levitated them onto his lap after he sat up properly, still grinning.

"News channel it is, then. Uh... local news? or national news?" Steven asked, looking up, frowning, trying to remember the numbers as he took a bite of his breakfast.

"Local," Bill replied, and then he took a bite of his breakfast too. He hummed slightly with delight. This was really good. If there was one thing humanity did well, it was food. They certainly didn't disappoint.

The boy turned the dial to the right channel at last. There was a breaking news sign, as well as a picture of the school they visited just the other day. A woman was speaking, but Steven talked right over her.

"Look! that's the school we visited yesterday, with Sadie!" he exclaimed, stuffing another bite in his mouth.

"Yeah, yeah, now shush!" Bill then grinned, staring at the television with a wide eye now.

The image then cut to an actual video of the school itself, along with several ambulances parked at the front, and the same woman who had been talking was standing at the entrance of the school.

"Breaking news!" the anchorwoman announced into her microphone with a neutral, but concerned, expression, "we come to you live from Beach City High, where some strange things have been happening to the students and to the staff. Not to mention dangerous."

Bill tried his best to keep from grinning. He maintained a neutral expression throughout, but he was literally on the inside bustling with joy. Steven kept watching silently.

"We've had witnesses report that the lights turned off while the hallway was crowded, resulting in some rather bad accidents. And, in the chemistry lab, things fared much worse," and it cut away to the footage from a security camera.

It showed a class in the lab, getting ready to do some sort of project. On a whiteboard, instructions were written in black. The students began to work...

One, using a blender, got acid splattered all over his face and screamed. Another, mixing chemicals together, watched in horror as a hand emerged from the beaker, black and almost cartoonish, and frankly impossible. The same thing happened to all the others trying to get chemicals to react to one another, but with different-colored hands. Demons. Trying to pull themselves out. The students started running out, screaming, and the teacher pulled the fire alarm, right before she, too, ran out.

Bill held back a chuckle and a grin. He glanced at Steven, knowing he would be horrified. He wanted to see his face. And he was right. The boy was indeed horrified. The demon, meanwhile, feigned concern, eye wide and a hand on his "chin", "Oh, this is just so horrible!"

The footage soon switched to a different scene, with the lady unusually silent, to a scene of a quiet hallway, a few students walking through it. A horrifying roar rocked the school, before an indescribably terrifying beast emerged from the other side of said hallway and began running after the students, who also ran, for their lives, screaming. This beast had multicolored limbs, all in the wrong places, looking like a twisted spider. On what could be assumed to be its back was a strange jewel.

Steven recognized it. It was the last straw, actually. He hopped off the bed, gasping, "It's a Gem Monster! come on, Bill, we gotta go fight it!" he exclaimed, already beginning down the stairs. "I thought we had rid everywhere of them..."

"Ugh.. do we have to?" Bill groaned, beginning to eat more of his breakfast. He was really starting to enjoy watching the mayhem he'd caused, and didn't want to be interrupted. And then he glanced at the boy's abandoned breakfast and actually said this, "At least finish your breakfast, kid."

"Fine..." the boy started back up the stairs, climbing back onto bed and grabbing his breakfast plate, "but we have to help them! Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl aren't around to help us with this one! someone could get really hurt! more than they probably already have!"

"Eh.." Bill kept eating. And, when he was done, he narrowed his eye and crossed his arms. The news showed more footage, such as the hallways getting crowded and the lights flickering on and off, as well as blue screens on a lot of the computers. More footage of the Gem Monster, which made Steven rush his breakfast. He was done soon after Bill was.

Bill couldn't help the grin that spread across his eye at all that chaos. It all came together. He thought they were mediocre at the time, but now it all added up and absolutely terrified everyone and even harmed a few. He allowed a quiet chuckle, but he made sure Steven didn't hear it. And then he immediately frowned again, acting concerned once more. But in reality he just didn't care and was bustling with joy.

Steven soon grabbed Bill's hand and ran to Lion. He hopped onto his back.

"We need to get to the school! stat!" he shouted to the big guy, who, surprisingly, opened his eyes at that, and stood up as well. He began to run in a circle around the room, faster and faster. Bill couldn't even complain. His eye was wide out of shock now. He held onto Lion's mane with the one hand that was free, yelping a little. And then Steven let go to hold on with both hands, and the demon promptly grabbed onto the fur with his other hand.

A circle of pink appeared, and Lion leapt through it, bringing them instantly to the front of the school. He slowed, and eventually sat down to let Steven and Bill off. Bill's eye was wider than ever, and his pupil was a mere pinprick. His hands had gone white due to clutching onto Lion's mane so hard, and it felt like he couldn't let go.

The anchorwoman merely stared at the sight. She was used to this, having seen and reported so many weird things before in this town. Her camera and ambulance people were too, although slightly surprised. They blinked due to shock.

"Come on, Bill, we gotta go defeat the Gem Monster and fix the school!" almost drunkenly, Steven dizzily ran to the entrance, afraid his breakfast was about to come right back out his mouth.

After a while, Bill finally let go and tumbled off Lion. He then, almost as dizzily, followed Steven, grumbling to himself. He, like Lars with the picnic and Sadie with the school, _really_ didn't want to be here. He'd much rather be at Steven's home continuing to watch the chaos unfold. Not to mention, he was also quite embarrassed right now; he wasn't acting his best, and people were watching. He soon shot a dangerous glare at the staring news-people and ambulance pilots, pupil flashing a deep blue, and they, shuddering, returned to their business.

Steven darted into the building, which had been evacuated now. The entire students and staff, save for some who had been transported to the hospital due to severe injuries, were in the parking lot now, watching from a safe distance. The boy paused to settle his stomach, holding a hand against his mouth. He sighed, and began to walk down the hallways of the building, hoping Bill was trailing behind him.

And the demon was. He frowned at the thought of having to undo all this beautiful damage. He looked around, for the gem beast and all those demons that were running wild by now. Since the halls were no longer crowded, the lights were on and perfectly fine. A roar soon rocked the building once more, and then the beast appeared at the end of the hallway. Steven gasped, and started running the other direction. Bill's eye narrowed, and he watched Steven disappear down the hallway. He scoffed. He then glanced at the Gem Monster, and waved a dismissive hand before he wandered down another hallway. The monster soon followed Bill, of course, using its long limbs to bound forward...

* * *

 **A/N:** And this starts an arc. I'm not saying what it is though, but you'll find out soon enough. Nyeh heh! I was also the news reporter and Ace described the footage quite wonderfully, and she also played Lion. :3  
Well, I hope you enjoyed that! we certainly enjoyed RPing it. I'll see you next Friday or Saturday unless you have reviews to send me!


	15. Welcome to the Mindscape

**A/N:** Heh. I meant to post this yesterday, since it's kinda on the short side. But instead, you're getting it today. So that means I'll have to post the next chapter Sunday. Whoopsies.  
Also, two guests reviewed. So time to reply to them.

/d0td0td0t: (Chapter 3) I'm really liking what you're saying. Why don't you create an account so we can actually talk over these things? you seem like you have a lot of interesting things to say. And yeah, Steven's behavior can be elusive and confusing, especially to psychopaths like Bill. And yeah, Lars isn't really a bad person, but he isn't necessarily a wholesome person either. And yeah, you're right about actions. So many people like to say "actions speak louder than words", but what if those actions were lies and were only hiding what the person truly is inside? good, philosophical stuff here.

/Ahkhang: (previous chapter) Thank you so much!~ I'm glad you like my works. But this one I can't actually take all the credit for. So I'm going to cut this cake in half and give the other half to Ace. Thank you so much~

Anyways, time for Chapter Fifteen! it's a little short, but it's quite whammy. Of course, not to the same degree as Chapter Ten, but it involves the introduction of a new character nonetheless. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Fifteen: Welcome to The Mindscape**

At the end of the hallway Steven was rushing down, there was a faint yellow glow, coming from a room. If the boy had visited the chemistry room, he would know that room was it. The boy's eyes widened when he saw this. He slowed down a little bit, becoming a little more cautious. He wondered what that was, and ran, carefully, towards it. The yellow soon changed to a pink color, and increased in intensity.

Steven developed stars in his eyes. He murmured, "Woah..." and slowed his run to a slight trot.

The pink shimmered and pulsed, patient. It almost looked like Steven's gem when it was activated. The boy slowly approached this pink glow, eyebrows raised and his eye still stars, "What are you...?"

He was reminded of Bill just then, what with the gold glow around the statue just before the guy replaced it. Was this perhaps another? another statue coming to life? he was giddy with excitement and anticipation.

The glow faded, and revealed a pink star, with a closed eye in the center, and little arms and legs extending from its body. The eye opened slowly, and stared at Steven curiously.

The stars in the boy's eyes somehow managed to get even bigger, "Woah..." and then Steven grinned, clasping his hands together, "this is awesome!"

He seemed to forget about the Gem Monster, as well as the happenings at this school, or, at least, it was all now in the back of his mind.

"Hello there. Who might you be?" asked the star, floating close to Steven, circling around him, inspecting him.

"My name's Steven!" he giddily introduced himself, and then the boy was puzzled a little, following the star guy's movement, getting a little dizzy himself. Shouldn't he have already known, like Bill did? he quirked an eyebrow.

"Nice to meet you, Steven. My name's Gabriel. But you can call me Gay or Gabe. Whatever you would prefer is fine," the star finally stopped spinning, and zoomed back to the place where he initially was, where he had appeared.

Steven followed him, running. He shouted, cupping his hands, "Gabriel is a nice name!"

Gabriel soon stopped, suddenly. "Steven..." he turned to the boy. "You've encountered a being like me before, correct? maybe... a yellow triangle guy?"

Steven's eyes widened and he nodded vigorously, smiling slightly, "Yeah! I have!"

"Oh, no... this is not good at all..." he shook himself, almost miserably. He looked back up at Steven. "Tell me his name wasn't Bill Cipher."

The smile slightly faded, but it was still there, and he shook his head. Before he then shrugged. And then he nodded, smiling almost nervously. The triangle's name was, in fact, Bill Cipher.

"Of course," he held a hand to his now closed eye, and sighed heavily.

Steven tilted his head, confused, "Why? what's wrong?"

"Kid..." he began, staring at Steven sadly, "Bill's the one who messed up this place. Other than the Gem Monster, but he saw that, and let it stay anyway. You're trying to fix what happened here, right? well, you can't do it on his side."

Steven's eyes widened, "He did?" he could hardly believe it though, and yet he could. All the bad things, after all, happened a day after they left, and things were absolutely fine beforehand. And the triangle guy had been pretty mean too. But he didn't believe that Bill couldn't be brought around. The boy then sighed, shaking his head, "What if I tried to reason with him? maybe then he'll turn things back to normal!"

The demon shook himself, frowning. "Reasoning with him is a bad idea. I've tried. You know what happened? he stole my soul, and then threw me into another dimension for a trillion years. The same fate might be brought upon you... or worse,"—the boy gasped—"You should let me talk to him," he held out a hand, covered in hot pink, almost red, flames.

Steven watched these flames, his eyes wide with uncertainty. The boy took in all these words, and was again terrified of Bill now. However, he, ever since Bill had washed up here, had been reasoning with the guy, and he actually listened! why would now be any different? he looked back up at Gabriel, tilting his head and then shaking it again, "But I can! he's stayed with me for a day and a quarter. Or more. And reasoning with him was kinda all I did. And it kinda worked!"

He grinned, ever so optimistic that he could do something. An uneasy silence then fell... before...

"I guess I have no choice then," Gabriel's entire form was wreathed in flames now, and he leapt at Steven, pushing him right out of his body, and the boy yelped. His body grinned and looked around with burning, bright pink eyes, laughing.

Steven looked down at himself, and he saw that he was pink in color, and floating a few feet off the ground. He chuckled for a while, before he realized what this meant. His eyes widened, and he looked at his body, where his soul was meant to be. He freaked out a little, hands clasping the sides of his head, "Wha? no! what is this?!"

The possessed boy grinned at Steven's soul. He proceeded to explain, rather vaguely however, "Welcome to the mindscape, kid! without a vessel to possess, you're basically a ghost!" and then Steven's body started running, to where Gabriel knew Bill would be.

Steven floated after him for a while, shouting. This was worse, he decided, than what Gabriel said Bill would have done, and what made this matter even worse was that Bill hadn't even _tried_ to punish him for a "crime" that he had time and time again committed, the fact that the triangle was currently weak notwithstanding.

This didn't quite label the star guy as an enemy, but it was quite close to it. However, Steven held no grudges. He kept after him, but soon stopped, realizing it wouldn't be much of a use. His mind was now brought back onto the matters at hand. That Gem Monster, and the demons rampaging the school. So he began looking for them once more, at least to try and get solid locations.

* * *

 **A/N:** And so Gabriel, Ace's OC, enters the scene. I took Steven for this chapter. I hope I portrayed him well. X3  
Also, we tossed two references in there. XD They shouldn't be too hard to spot. I hope you enjoyed this, and I'll see you Sunday if you don't have any reviews to leave me! X3


	16. Geven

**A/N:** Well, it's an hour and four minutes past midnight, so it's Sunday now... so I decided why the heck not? here's Chapter Sixteen! lemme just tell you that this chapter is the one of most pivotal moments in this story. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Sixteen: Geven**

Bill was levitating at a rather fast pace. That gem beast was on his tail and it didn't seem to be letting up. He wasn't willing to shoot at it though. Rather, he was leading the monster towards someplace particular...

...like the school parking lot, where he knew the staff and students had gathered.

He grinned to himself, chuckling. The demon now didn't understand why he'd been so unwilling. Now that he wasn't under that deal and now that Steven wasn't with him, he could commit some more chaos. Harmful chaos.

But "Steven", in fact, was waiting at this particular entrance, hearing the roars of the gem monster come closer and closer. Bill saw Steven from a mile away, but kept going, kept leading the monster. He narrowed his eye, almost hoping he and the creature would bowl the kid over. There was that small part of himself, however, that he was confused about. But it was small, and therefore not worth his time.

Eventually the boy decided it was close enough, and threw his shield at it, grunting a little. It hit, and the monster poofed into its gem, which landed on the laminate floors with a few small clinks. The boy's eyes, a bright, burning pink, flickered to Bill, and he smirked, "Did'ya miss me?"

Bill's eye, the second it caught sight of those eyes, soon widened, and then he narrowed and rolled it with disgust, "Ugh, Gabriel!? _you_ were one of those demons?!"

And then he glanced at the gem on the floor. He frowned. There went his ticket to harmful chaos. But it wasn't bubbled. Therefore, there was still a chance...

"Yeah! I'm back, baby! and, this time, you're not going to trick me!" he shot the shield at Bill this time, laughing.

Bill dodged it, growling slightly. He, however, hesitated to counterattack. In fact, he barely moved to attack at all. All he did was glare at the possessed boy. Gabriel stared evenly, "What? afraid to fight?"

He threw another one, and lit it with pink flames. Bill blocked this one, but it hurt his hand for some reason he couldn't figure out, other than the fact that it was set aflame. He attempted to wave the pain away, and then glared at Gabriel/Geven even harder, "No. I'm not afraid to fight!"

And yet he found he couldn't fight back. He was confused again. He shouldn't be so hesitant to fight his adopted brother, even if he was in a meatsack's body. But this meatsack in particular was Steven. The demon growled at himself.

"Oh, look at you! you actually care about this kid, don't ya?" Gabriel smirked, realizing how he could use this to his advantage, but also realizing what exactly it meant, for Bill to care about a human.

And that's when Bill realized and snapped out of whatever it was that was holding him back. He shouted, "NO, I DON'T!" and shot a purple laser at Geven from his finger.

The kid held his arms out, actually. But, right before the laser could hit, a pink orb formed around him. "Look, Bill. Everyone knows you're the bad one now. Everyone knows you're a villain. And this kid—he can stop you," he started, slowly walking towards Bill.

Bill growled, shaking, but he was careful not to get himself so angry to the point that he would have a meltdown again. He, in an even voice, replied, "You're lying. No one knows. I made sure of that." He glared the possessed boy down.

"I told the kid what you did to me. What you've done here. He's going to figure out the rest, you know..." the barrier around Geven fell, and the boy threw a bunch of shields, like ninja stars, shuriken. All of them flaming.

The demon threw up a barrier, and allowed the barrage of shields to hit that instead, though the barrier faltered each time one made contact. He didn't want his hands hurt again.

"Pheh, as smart as he is, he's not _that_ smart," Bill laughed a little, but, even _he_ wasn't really that sure. However, knowing Steven, the boy'd just ignore what Gabriel told him and continue to be friends with him. The kid was _that_ trusting. And that in and of itself was idiotic. Once the shields were gone, he let down the barrier and shot more lasers at Geven and added some fire to the mix too.

This time, Gabriel wasn't expecting it, and got hit _and_ burnt. He collapsed to the floor, but there was barely a scratch on him, and then slowly rose. He looked at Bill, his eyes glowing a deep red now. He shouted, "THAT'S IT! NO MORE MISTER NICE GUY!"

A giant shield formed, and he hurled it across the foyer, at Bill. He was beginning to regret not grabbing a better weapon, and he was starting to tire out.

"Hey, _you_ were the one who attacked first, 'Mister Nice Guy'!" the demon reminded Gabriel, and then, eye wide, dodged the shield and then observed this. It ended up damaging major parts of the room and then the hallway, and ultimately got stuck in a wall, making some rather huge cracks in it. Bill's eyebrow was arched high above his top point, and he made a whistling noise at the damage, somewhat impressed. There was that feeling again, though, but the triangle was quick to squash it.

Geven was on one knee now, breathing heavily, unable to keep his eyes open. "Damn it! this stupid body—!" he growled.

"Heh... you're weak now... I suppose you're not used to the limits of these meaty puppets. I'll admit, I was the same way. But then I wised up," Bill grinned, eye flickering to the unbubbled gem still on the floor. Any moment now it'd reform. He chuckled, eye on Geven now, his hands surrounded with red flames, the flames that _really_ burned, the flames that could _kill_. But would he really go that far? this _was_ Steven's body anyway...

He growled at this thought. Nothing of that nature should hold him back. Absolutely _nothing._

"I dare you to do it, brother. Just like you did with the rest of us," Geven grinned, a maniacal grin with little to no sanity behind it. "Prove to me you're worth killing!" the bubble around him faded, and the boy spread his arms out, waiting.

Bill's eye twitched. He snarled, raising the flames up, about to fire them like a flamethrower at Geven. But then the fire faded, bit by bit. He lowered his hands eventually, the look in his eye softening. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't, and he didn't know why.

"Can't do it, _William_? where's all that cruelty you showed back at the Nightmare Realm?" the possessed boy's smirk turned into a stone glare. "Back when you _murdered_ them. Back when you stole my soul, shattered it into pieces, and gave them away like they didn't matter? back when you threw me, locked me away, in a realm of nothing but dust and broken promises, of numbered days and fractured dreams?"

Bill glared evenly at him, clenching and then relaxing his fists every few seconds. He said nothing to all this. But he was wondering what was happening to him. Why he wasn't as cruel and relentless as before. It was an enigma, even to the usually knowledgeable dream demon.

"Do you know what it feels like, to have pieces of your mind, of your soul, your spirit, littered throughout countless realms, crushed, sold, eaten, forgotten? dirtied, rotten, rusted, crumbling to bits? I can feel it, every day. I will never be able to forget what you did to me... you _monster_ ," he then started running at Bill, fists flaming, yelling.

The demon simply floated there, not even moving, not even registering this. He was still hung up on trying to figure out what happened to his personality. But he just could _not_ figure it out. He simply could not _get it_. However, he seemed to snap out of this at least a few seconds too late; he knew he couldn't dodge or block this in time. His eye was wide and he began to brace for the hit. Gabriel put his flaming hands together, and, knowing exactly where to hit Bill, slammed both fists right into the triangle's wide eye. Bill recoiled quite a distance, screeching, and then collapsed to the floor. He writhed about, grabbing at his eye, "OW! GAWD, THAT _HURTS_!"

Gabriel glared, but soon everything was going blurry, and he was falling. And then it was black, as he was forced back out of the boy's body, and into the real world. He grunted, upset, but decided to leave. He drew a star on the wall with his finger, leaving a black sign, and then flew into it, disappearing. Steven gasped, and then fell to his knees. He huffed and puffed, feeling the absolute exhaustion from Gabriel exerting so much power through his body. He couldn't quite focus on things right at the moment, but eventually he would be able to make sense of them.

Bill was very slowly recovering, tears leaking out from his eye. He gradually stopped writhing, and started shuddering out of instinct, despite how much he tried to suppress it. Steven backed up and leaned against a wall, trying to use it to get back up. There was then a shimmering sound, and the twisted and messed up gem on the floor began to rise. A form began to appear around it, first humanoid but then warping into something else entirely. Steven panted, watching it with horror. He knew fighting it would be bad. Running wouldn't be any better. He had no strength, no energy to spare.

The demon groaned, starting to pick himself up. He heard this sound, and only knew it as the Gem Monster finally regaining its form. Only, instead of happy... he felt... something else... he couldn't put a finger on this feeling. But it made him... he groaned again, this time out of exasperation. He didn't even know how it made him feel.

The monster, once in existence again, soon began to approach Steven, roaring.

"B-Bill! help, please!" Steven shouted, voice hoarse all of a sudden, as he backed further against the wall. The demon huffed and puffed a little, finally opening his healed eye and taking things in carefully. He saw the Gem Monster slowly, _very_ slowly, creep up onto the boy. Inch by inch. The triangle felt heavily conflicted right at that moment. Should he leave Steven to his fate...? or...?

Steven slid down the wall, putting his knees up in front of his face. He whimpered, and tried to make himself seem as small as possible. The beast was uncomfortably close by now, and it raised one of its sharp legs, ready to impale Steven with it. Bill's eye widened, and then, after a while, he looked down at the ground and sighed, murmuring something sullen, before he, narrowing his eye and furrowing his brow, pointed with his finger, aimed, and shot the beast with his purple and fiery laser.

It screeched, the attack having hit its weak spot, and then flailed around, backing away from the boy a little ways, before it then retreated back into its gem. The strange jewel then clinked against the floor yet again. Bill stared at it, and frowned. And right there and then his ticket to more chaos went down the drain once more. He knew Steven would bubble it. He sighed again, and then stared at his hands, now not sure what to think.

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow, Bill... wow... go me! also, big ups to Ace for RPing Steven and Gabriel so well! I also roleplayed Steven for the brief moment when he took back his body, and I had the Gem Monster near the end. Well, hope ya enjoyed! next chapter is also gonna blow you away. So be prepared for that! heh.. leave reviews. They always brighten my day. And to those anonymous who have a lot of things to say, please make an account - I'd love to speak with you properly. In any other case, I'll see you this Thursday or Saturday with the next one. Ciao!


	17. Dealing with Demons and Failing Trust

**A/N:** Aaaand here's Chapter Seventeen, again earlier than expected. I'm going to start updating on Thursdays now, and have double-chapter weeks when a chapter has a really harsh cliffhanger - like the kind that either abruptly ends a chapter or is the kind that just you can't wait another week for the next part - or is just REALLY short - the latter is most likely, however. I would also like to thank all those favorites and follows! I love those, but I love reviews just as much, if not more, so please leave a review as well if you have time. So, that said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It continues RIGHT from the previous chapter, so you may want to refresh yourself.

READ ON, FELLOW AUTHORS AND REVIEWERS! READ ON!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Seventeen: Dealing with Demons and Failing Trust **

After a while of silence and recomposition, Steven stood, and walked over to the strange gem. He bubbled it, just as Bill had predicted, and made it vanish in light, to a room deep inside the Temple. He looked over at Bill, questions on his mind.

"When... when that guy possessed me... I heard what he said about you. What you did..." Steven started, biting his lip.

Bill looked up at Steven, snapping out of his trance, and his frown deepened. He didn't say anything though.

"Is what he said true?" Steven finally asked, staring right back at Bill, unblinking. "Are you a murderer?"

Bill tensed up, growling slightly. He nodded before long. He couldn't hide it anymore. Gabriel messed up everything. He could only hope Steven looked past it all. For his plan to work...

"Then... I can only ask... why did you spare me?" Steven asked, watching him slowly, carefully.

The demon stared at Steven. Many different answers soared throughout his mind, one of which was: _I'm not a wanton killer, kid!_

But he didn't say that. It'd make things worse. Besides, in truth, he didn't really know what to say now. He had thought Steven would bail on him the moment he said yes to that previous question. He was confused once more, when he was faced with this one. Why _did_ he spare the kid?

He twitched, staring at his hands again, before, finally, he replied, rather softly, "I.. I'm actually trying to figure that out myself..."

Steven said nothing for a moment. His voice quivered as he began to speak again, "A-are you going to st-steal my soul...?"

Bill narrowed his eye at the kid, and then shook himself as an answer, remaining unusually silent now. He couldn't quite think right. He felt very much like those computers in that one lab. And it didn't feel good.

"...he also told me you did all this to the school. Is that true too?" Steven was close to tears now. All his hard work... he bitterly remembered how he boasted to that redhead chick that he had begun to inspire change in Bill. How wrong he had been. Everything seemed to fit now...

The demon now fully registered Steven in his vision, and saw those tears. He twitched. He didn't want to see that, but it was now for a different reason. It wasn't "they meant nothing to him" anymore. Not quite anyway. He couldn't put a finger on it all.

He frowned, clenching his fists, and nodded; lies would get him nowhere now. It wasn't quite satisfying anymore, the chaos. Right now anyway. He didn't know what it was that was making him feel this way. But he hated it. He wanted it to go away.

The boy sighed, "Let's just... go. There's more monsters to fight." Steven started walking out of the foyer and down the hall.

Bill sighed too. He began floating after Steven. He looked at the lights, the lights still programmed to flicker and shut off when the halls were crowded. He frowned and then snapped his fingers. The lights were now fixed. He still felt bad, even worse because he was reversing what he had done to achieve chaos. The demon grunted with an indistinguishable emotion, looking around.

A sound soon echoed throughout the hallway. A loud, thumping sound. Everything seemed to jump when it came... then, at the end of this hallway, there appeared what seemed to be an enormous purple bread block with thick limbs and no face.

"What is _that_?" Steven asked in a whisper, his eyes wide, not feeling quite up to fighting it.

A flicker of a smile crossed Bill's eye. That was one of his friends. He whispered to Steven, "Oh, that's Xanthar. Though his name isn't meant to be said. We're friends."

"F-friends?" Steven iterated, a little confused, almost upset. _You're friends with_ _ **that**_ _?_ he almost seemed to say.

Bill grinned, but it was sad. He knew what Steven implied with that. The demon had said he'd explain where he came from, though, so when it came time for it, it would probably clear all that up. He soon replied, "Yeah, friends. Soooo... with that, maaaaaaybe I might be able to talk him into going back home."

After it was out of his metaphorical mouth, he couldn't believe he had said such a thing... but he couldn't take it back.

Steven stepped back. "Go ahead. I'll... I'll just watch, I guess."

He was still recovering from what Gabriel did to his body, and didn't want it to happen again. Bill nodded, and then floated up to Xanthar, grinning, "Ey, Xanthar! buddy! long time no see, eh?"

It really _was_ quite a long time. He estimated that it was about half a year since Weirdmaggedon. He was hoping Xanthar still remembered him, but really, how could he forget? most demons had a memory span, in both short and long, far less faulty than humans anyway. The beast nodded, or so it seemed. Steven watched with both wonder and terror.

Bill smiled out of relief, "I assume you'd been doing great! have ya?"

"The Nightmare Realm has really been something else without you, Bill," a feminine voice announced, answering the demon's question. From behind Xanthar stepped a lady in pink, who appeared to be wearing flames. She had just a single eye, and two horns protruding from her head. Steven gasped when he saw her, wondering just how many of these monsters were roaming about the school now.

"It has?" Bill glanced at his other friend. Pyronica. He smiled slightly, "Please do tell me how it's been."

The mission to ask Xanthar to go home was forgotten. He wanted now to catch up with his old friends at least for a little while.

"Horrific. Without you there... all the demons have turned on each other, fighting to be boss of everyone else!"

"Demons?" whispered Steven, eyes widening.

"Really? that's not good at all!" Bill's eye widened. How could he ever ask them to go back home when everything was so bad, worse than ever?

"And your brother returned from his imprisonment! he took over the entire realm before we came here!" she exclaimed, clearly frazzled.

Bill growled, hands clenched, "That lousy..." but he didn't finish the sentence. He knew Steven was listening.

"He's really upset about everything. I'd watch your back if I were you—he wants to get vengeance for what you did."

"Yeah, but we kinda already ran into him..." Steven said, stepping forward. Bill glanced over at Steven, narrowing his eye slightly. He sighed, but didn't protest against this, and nodded.

Xanthar couldn't speak, but he rumbled a little bit, "looking" towards the boy now. He seemed to be asking who he was.

"What is this? Bill, are you traveling with a human boy?" Pyronica sounded and looked pretty disgusted.

"Hey, knock it off!" Bill snapped slightly. The demon then briefly wondered why he defended Steven like that, and so quickly too. He sighed eventually, rubbing his closed eye, "He's not exactly human, anyway. Well, not all the way."

Xanthar seemed to take interest in Steven, still "staring" his way. He rumbled some more.

"Yeah! I'm part Gem!" he pulled up his shirt to reveal his gem, which Pyronica stared at blankly. Xanthar seemed to smile.

"But you're still getting close to him?" she asked, her eye flickering to Bill now.

"He's got powers!" the demon exclaimed slickly. It wasn't the whole reason he was hanging with the kid. Heck, it wasn't even by choice. But he only said that to save Steven's skin, for some reason. "He'll be able to help us with our problem."

Joy began exuding from the purple demon's aura. Overall, he seemed less judgmental of Steven and more intrigued and surprised. He made some noises, giddy and excited.

"What problem?" Steven asked, clearly confused.

"But he's—he's a kid!" Pyronica complained, her resolve weakening.

"Yeah, a kid who regularly went on missions with the Crystal Gems! I'm sure you've heard of them in some form or fashion," Bill crossed his arms, staring her down.

 _It's my adopted brother. The realm I'm from is now under his rule and other demons are currently fighting against each other to change that. Weren't you listening?_ he transmitted that thought only to Steven, frowning slightly.

Steven gasped, "Ohhhhh. That make sense."

She sighed. "Fine. You're the boss, anyway," she crossed her arms, and looked away, clearly not happy with the whole situation.

"Good," Bill smiled slightly. "Now, to round up the others..."

Xanthar immediately started walking away, most likely to find the others. He let off some more rumbling noises, showcasing how eager he was to eventually work with Steven and find out how the boy worked.

"The entire crew came through. We all split up to try and find you."

"I see... well, this school's not really that big, and it's empty, so that makes things easier on us..." he rubbed at his "chin".

"What are we going to do? a full-scale Weirdmaggedon, this time?" she smirked, raising her eyebrow, clearly excited about the idea. Bill shook himself as an answer. He was still much too weak for that anyway.

"Wh-what's Weirdmaggedon?" asked Steven, frowning, raising a hand.

The demon pointedly ignored Steven's question, and mentally told Pyronica not to tell him either. She nodded, and the boy lost heart after about a few more seconds of silence passed, lowering his hand.

"Well, I say we go after your brother first. He's going to be a bit of a problem—he recruited some of our old friends. Keyhole, I think. And Hectorgon, as well as Kryptos," she shook her head, sighing.

"What?!" Bill growled. While he reacted with anger, it also hurt. Those three, Kryptos in particular, were some of his closest friends. And now they joined the likes of his adopted brother?! ...he felt betrayed. The demon clenched his fists, his pupil flashing a deep crimson. "I'll _kill_ him!"

 _Obviously shattering and scattering his soul wasn't good enough for him..._ the triangle ranted to himself.

Steven watched this with wide eyes, trying his best not to show how terrified he was now.

"But I'm not entirely sure who's on whose side. So definitely watch your back," Pyronica sighed. "We shouldn't waste time. Every moment your fake brother's forces are getting farther and farther away. We need to find them—for sure."

"Right.." the demon calmed himself down, and then, sparing only a glance at Steven, began levitating in the direction Xanthar had gone. Pyronica walked beside him. Steven followed silently, trying to understand exactly what was going on here.

 _The boy. Why do you keep him around? don't you realize how weak he's making you?_ asked Gabriel, exclusively to Bill through a psychic link. _We don't have to be enemies, Bill. You just gotta say sorry... and give me the boy's soul, and we'll call it even._

 _N. O. No. You're joking. And I shouldn't have to apologize for what you and my family did to me..._ Bill's eye narrowed. He checked a room. It was the computer lab. He snapped his fingers and the computers were back in working order, and maybe even a little bit better.

 _One last chance, brother. Or we'll all destroy you. Return the favor. Unless you're willing to return it yourself._

 _You're not getting Steven's soul, Gabriel. And you're not my brother!_ the demon then whacked off the psychic connection the best he could, his aura slightly burning with anger. But it wasn't good enough.

 _Fine. I see how it is! you know what? I'd rather have your soul instead, anyway! I'll enjoy devouring it!_ and then he laughed maniacally. Soon, that laughter faded into nothing, but still seemed to echo.

Steven frowned, "But what _is_ Weirdmaggedon?"

Bill rubbed at his top point, trying to get the laugh out of his head. He sighed. He glanced at the boy, shaking himself, "You really don't wanna know..."

Steven sighed. "See, this is why I don't ask questions..." he shook his head. The demon stared a little sadly at Steven. The boy really _shouldn't_ know, though. But, before he could say anything, a rhombic demon suddenly pushed past them and rushed down the hallway. Bill jumped a little out of shock.

The boy gasped, "What was that?" he turned to Pyronica. "How many more of you guys are there?"

She shrugged and made a noise that sounded like "I dunno".

"There's about nine of us..." Bill answered. And then loud thumping sounds, like footfalls, echoed throughout the school at a near rapid pace. Bill sweatdropped. Xanthar soon appeared at the end of the hallway, running directly towards them. The triangle's eye widened and he started to make a break for it, shouting, "RUN!"

Steven created a bubble around the three of them, and started running. He seemed confused more than ever now, and yelled out, "But I thought you said he was your friend!"

"No, Bill... it's not just the nine of us anymore, actually. There's new demons—you should have seen what Gabriel's done..." she shuddered, running too.

"He is, he's just after Kryptos and he often gets too excited and way too into his tasks!" Bill hurriedly stated, still running. And then he glanced at Pyronica, immediately frowning. He wanted to ask, but figured he'd ask later, when they weren't in danger.

Kryptos was sweating, far, far away from the group, not slowing down for anyone. He soon made a quick turn at the end. Xanthar was slowly gaining on all of them; he thought this was a more effective way of rounding up the Henchmaniacs, but in actuality he took it too literally.

Steven gasped, seeing a split in the hallway. "Which way did the guy go? we need to go the other way!" his terrified feet tapped against the ground.

"He went to the left!" Pyronica answered, trying to lead them to the right. Bill actually wanted to talk to Kryptos, try to get his side of the story, but figured that'd be later too. So he let Pyronica steer the bubble to the right, and helped a bit. Xanthar was a yard away at this point, hooting like an ape excitedly.

The bubble moved away, giving the purple demon clear passage to the left—assuming Kryptos had actually gone that way, and Pyronica was sure she was right. And Xanthar passed them by harmlessly, stampeding through the left hallway. Bill slumped against the bubble, sighing out of relief. The bubble dissipated. Steven sighed, "Man... that was close..." he sat, gasping for breath.

He still was winded from the powers that he had used while Gabriel controlled him. Bill fell against the floor, now that the bubble wasn't there to support him anymore. He grunted, eye narrowing. But he soon got over this, sighing, "You can say that again..."

Pyronica looked at the both of them, "Everyone alright?"

"Oh, definitely," he finally got up and started levitating again. He looked at Steven, waiting for his answer even though he already knew.

Steven nodded, "Just peachy!"

"Good... well, we know where Kryptos is now..." and then Bill stared evenly at Pyronica, and finally asked, "and what's that you said about 'new demons'?"

"Oh—he was taking the souls of those who were loyal to you, and ripping them into pieces, and sewing mismatched bits together to make newer, different demons..." she shuddered. Bill's eye was wide, and Steven's were too. She continued, "It wasn't right. I wouldn't stand for it. But it was either bow down or suffer the same fate... and I'm no heroic idiot... so here I am." She sighed.

It was like a record scratch suddenly tore through the air. Bill's eye started twitching and he started muttering under his breath things that weren't quite safe for children to hear. He eventually uttered, eye narrowed, "I'm gonna get him for this... I'm _so_ gonna get him..."

This wasn't right at all. Gabriel seemed much worse than Bill was, actually. At least the triangle didn't take another demon's soul and mash it together with his.

"Be careful, Bill. He won't hesitate to do something like that to you..." she bit her lip, glancing at Steven, "or to the Gem kid."

The demon also glanced at Steven, and a flash of worry flitted across his eye. He suddenly didn't want anything bad happening to the kid, but he didn't exactly know why. He frowned, pondering whether Steven should sit this one out.

"C'mon, guys. We can't just stand here! we have to find everyone else, all the other... demons!" Steven accepted it now, that they were all demons.

"Right.." Bill sighed, rubbing at his top point. Would sending the boy home be good for him? or would it endanger him further? he looked down this hallway in particular, still conflicted, and then started making his way down it, hoping to find another of his friends. Hopefully one who wasn't currently being rounded up by Xanthar. Pyronica followed, and so did Steven.

"So, uh... do we have a plan to defeat your bro?" he pursed his lips.

"A plan... well, first, we have to get everyone who isn't working for him and regroup," the triangle stated, hand on his "chin".

"That's going to be tough. The lines are blurred a bit—many who are still loyal to you, like me, had to pretend to join the other side," she sighed, shaking her head.

"I see..." Bill sighed also, frowning. He looked into another room.

She nodded.

Steven glanced at Bill, and then asked, "Why can't you guys just all be friends?"

The demon shrugged, but answered, "Too much anger. I wish it were that easy though..."

He seemed a bit sad, though, his mind journeying through his past, his childhood. He closed the door and moved on, seeing that nothing of interest was in that room.

 _That and Bill'd have to give me your soul for anything like that to happen,_ Gabriel laughed, having reopened the psychic link. Bill's frown deepened. He quickened his step, hoping to run into another demon who was on his side.

Silence was thick in the air, aside from Steven's and Pyronica's feet tapping against the floor. Only this time, Bill was growing uncomfortable with it. He started rubbing at his arm, subconsciously, looking this way and that. The lights all over the school suddenly went out, so it was dark, as well as silent. Steven reacted with only a gasp. Bill frowned. His glow brightened, but it simply wasn't enough. He glanced over at Steven and at Pyronica, getting a bad feeling about this whole thing. Pyronica glowed, too, so that helped. Steven was behind the two, eyes flicking this way and that.

And then a loud noise came from the front. Like someone running... and something dropping. Steven gasped, and they all stopped.

"What was that...?" the demon whispered anxiously, pulling at his arm now.

"I think that's another one of them...!" Pyronica started running towards it. "Come on!"

"Alright!" Bill levitated, full speed ahead, after his friend. He hoped she was right...

And she was. Into view came a very frazzled set of teeth with gummy arms and legs, trying to run as fast as it could... but it was nowhere near fast enough to outrun Bill and Pyronica. Bill kept "running" for his friend, Teeth, calling for his name. He glanced back at Steven a few times, hoping the kid was right behind them.

It was impossible to see in the dim, but it looked like he was getting farther and farther, unable to keep up well. Teeth soon dove into a hallway, but it was unclear which one. Left or right... or forward. Three options.

 _Good thing there's three of you. Maybe you can find him this way..._ Gabriel taunted, laughing. Bill growled, batting at the air. As if it would do anything. He stopped right before the three-pronged fork in the hallway, and frowned. He didn't want to have to split them up, but he was simply too weak to duplicate himself. The triangle turned to them, waiting for Steven to catch up.

Steven soon came into view again, huffing and puffing. His eyes widened when he saw the split.

"Oh, boy, which hallway did he go down?" he asked, a little worried, concerned.

"I'm not sure..." Bill sighed. "We're gonna have to split up. One for each hallway... but... Steven," he looked at the boy, crossing his arms, a little worried, "you're still not entirely well, are you?"

"I'll be fine!" he formed a bubble around himself, and a shield in his hands. He stood up proudly. "See? I can perfectly manage myself!"

Pyronica tapped her feet. "We don't have time for this!" and she then darted down the left hallway.

Bill glanced in Pyronica's direction. And then he nodded at Steven, "Alright. Good... well, try not to die, alright?"

And then he, after tossing the kid a flashlight he managed to conjure up, turned away from the kid. He promptly rolled his eye at his worriment, and then proceeded to go down the middle hallway. That left the right for Steven, and he began down it, with a sigh. His bubble collapsed and his shield disappeared. He knew he was weak, and he knew he couldn't do this, never mind what he had said to Bill. He went into a nearby room, curled up, and fell asleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's that! one of the longest chapters here! and now you know the when of the setting in which this RP occurred! I hope you enjoyed! and this chapter, as you could tell, features Bill's Henchmaniacs. I played Xanthar - after Ace introduced him - Kryptos, and obviously Bill, and Ace had Pyronica, Gabriel, Teeth, and Steven. XP  
Since the Henchmaniacs had little to no canon personality, we were allowed to take liberties on their characteristics. I hope you like what we did for them. XD  
I also tossed a reference in there. Maybe you can find it. :3 You get a cookie if you do! X3  
So, yeah, review please. It'd make my and Ace's day! or night... or whenever. XD And, if you don't have a review to leave, or are one of those guest reviews, then I'll see you Saturday or next week!


	18. Gem Troubles

**A/N:** Okay. Hold onto the edge of your seats, kiddos! this chapter right here will probably have you screaming. If Chapter Ten had wham, this one has even MORE wham. Enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Eighteen: Gem Troubles**

Pyronica ran for a while, huffing and puffing, beginning to think she had taken the wrong hall.

"TEETH!" she roared, before stumbling upon another crossroad. She grumbled, when she saw it, but closed her eye, listening for any movement at all. She wanted to get this over with. She soon heard the patter of feet, and started running down the left, again, towards it.

Teeth began freaking out, and sped up, almost stumbling a few times on his own chubby feet. Pyronica, still running, sent a mental message to Bill, _I've found him!_

 _Oh, good. Meanwhile, I'm pursuing someone else..._

Bill had heard noises too, and was now running after 8-Ball. The ape-like monster seemed kinda chill, but also freaked out, stumbling and skipping about the hall.

"8-Ball!" the triangle called out for him, "I only wanna talk to you!"

8-Ball merely sped up and kept going. Bill sighed, still levitating after him, and asked Pyronica, _Sheesh... why is everyone so skittish?_

 _Well, everyone knows Gabriel's stronger than you. You do know that, right?_ she asked, after a moment, speeding up.

Bill frowned, _Of course..._

He bitterly remembered a tidbit from his childhood. He shook it away before long, not wanting to dwell on it. He kept calling after 8-Ball, but the monster wasn't listening. He kept running like a chicken with its head cut off...

...Chicken would sound very good to have right now...

Teeth kept running too, but eventually he stumbled, fell and couldn't get back up. He gasped, "Oh... oh, no..."

Pyronica finally reached him. "Ahah! gotcha!" she tackled him.

He screamed almost like a little girl, sweating like a pig. He suddenly realized something though. He wasn't dead right now. He calmed himself down, but not before asking, "Wait, you're not gonna kill me...?"

"Of course not! we're just trying to gather everybody up so we can fight Gabriel! come on, Teeth, Bill needs you!" she grinned widely.

Teeth soon grinned back, but was still clattering, "Oh, okay! I'll help then!"

"Great! first, we need to find our way back... stay close, please..." she then began back to the intersection where the three of them split off. Teeth nodded, and got up. He then followed closely.

Pyronica reached the intersection soon enough. She had two options here—check up on the kid, to see where he had gotten himself, or go straight to Bill. She frowned a little, not sure which way to go. She made to take the middle path, though. Teeth bounded after her, trying his best to keep to the side of her, but soon she backtracked, deciding to ask, _Uh, Bill? did you go right? or straight?_

Teeth frowned, as much as a row of dentures could frown anyway. He walked backwards to where she stood, and looked up at her.

 _I went straight. But I think you might wanna check on the kid first,_ was his response. _He's not answering my messages..._

She nodded. She looked back at the hallways, and went down the other one.

"GEM KID!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth.

Teeth trailed behind her. If he had eyebrows, one of them would be raised right about now. A Gem kid? what was that? She turned around to face Teeth, sensing his confusion. Pyronica proceeded to explain, "Bill's become attached to this kid. He's half human and half Gem, apparently. Anyway, he wants us to look for him. How bout'cha take the right side, and I take the left?"

"Oh, okay.." Teeth seemed pretty okay with this, though he had his reservations. But he didn't linger on any of them. He soon nodded, "Sure."

She then began to check all the rooms on the left, one by one, not one of them yielding the Gem child. Teeth, meanwhile, checked all the rooms on the right. He didn't get very far though, as he opened only four doors, and peeped into this last one...

...and inside was a Cluster Demon. He was distorted, disfigured. He had bits of him that looked like rock, and one of his arms ended with a foot, while one of his legs ended with a hand. The bits of him didn't match at all. He had a black, thin arm, similar to Bill's, and then his other, wrong, arm seemed like rock, but the foot it ended with was green. His torso was grey, shaped like a diamond on one side, while it might have been an octagon on the other. His proper leg was orange, and was thicker, and seemed to be wreathed in flame. His messed up leg was silver, and thinner, ending with a very large blue boot that looked to be made of ice.

None of that really mattered, though. What mattered was what was in his hand. It was a little pink gem, which glittered in the darkness. The creature saw Teeth, gasped, and vanished in a bright flash of pink light. Teeth began freaking out again. He hurriedly called for Pyronica, even though he knew it was too late. Pyronica ran over.

"You found him?" she asked, breathless.

"No! one of those Cluster Demons was in there though. It had a gem in its hand, a pink gem!" he didn't know what Steven or his gem looked like, so he thought he didn't find anything particularly special. But the image freaked him out regardless.

She gasped. "A pink gem? and Cluster Demon? wait... you mean Gabriel's monstrosities?" she clenched her fists. "That... that... that jerk! come on, we have to find Bill..." she shook her head, sighing. "Oh, man. He's not going to like this..."

 _Turns out Gabriel's probably got the kid now. Be there in a bit._

There was no response for a while. Almost as though Bill was wrangling with his emotions right now. Soon she heard a sigh, _I see... well, alright. I managed to get through to 8-Ball, just so you know._

His voice seemed a bit less energetic. She was right. He wasn't liking this at all, but, since this was a human, he was conflicted about it as well. Teeth closed the door, clattering again. Pyronica started running again, back to the intersection, "Try to keep up. We gotta hurry!"

Teeth clambered after her, still rattling a little bit.

* * *

 _Hey, Bill. Guess what I've got!_

Bill thought this was Pyronica for a moment, and he answered, seeming to smile, _You got Teeth, didn't you?_

 _Actually, no. I'm sure by now you've figured it out. I've got what I wanted. Revenge. You stole something precious from me, now I'm returning the favor!_

Just then, Bill knew who was speaking to. He clenched his fist.

 _Oh, it's_ _ **you**_ _..._ the demon growled, his smile vanishing. _You better not do anything to him, Gabriel..._

He had wanted to renounce his care for the boy instead, but figured this might make things worse for Steven. Besides, every second that passed he found it was growing harder and harder to toss this new feeling aside. 8-Ball was sitting opposite from the triangle, scratching his head. He couldn't believe he didn't trust Bill all that time. But the lines of allegiance were blurred, and he at the time didn't know who to trust exactly. But at least now he did.

 _Don't worry. He'll be fine..._ and then there was a tangible hesitation. Before... _How long does it usually take for him to reappear after he's been converted to gem form?_

Bill then paled considerably. He started shaking a minute later. He eventually replied, rather evenly, _You... you did_ _ **what**_ _to him...?_

8-Ball tilted his head, now wondering what was wrong with his friend.

 _One of my idiotic hybrids was sent to simply knock him out, but instead he's... trapped as a little gem. Oh, well._

More silence passed. Bill was now glaring at the wall, and 8-Ball grew _very_ uncomfortable, shifting every so often.

 _I swear... if he's..._ the triangular demon suddenly cut himself off, still feeling conflicted, and then started again, _He better be okay. You hear me? he better come out of that gem with not even scratches on him._

 _Relax,_ came Gabriel's slick voice, _I'm sure he'll be fine... assuming you join me. I'm only going to ask once. This is your only chance. Then this gem... I'm going to destroy it, smash it into tiny pieces, and turn those pieces into powder. So. What about it, eh?_

 _Y...you're... you're bluffing..._ Bill paled even more. He was almost white at this point. He vaguely remembered the nightmare he had made Steven have the night he was taken in. And then he got an idea... _Gabriel! what is this all proving? all I see it's proving is that you're as bad as I am! if not worse! you wouldn't want that, would you?_

He was going to try and use Steven's philosophy, with a few twists of course because he could barely understand it himself. But then... the star demon started laughing, _What is this proving? I'm not trying to prove anything! I'm trying to do what you did to me. You broke me. You broke me into pieces, and then you watched them burn. I don't care if what I'm doing isn't right. I don't care if it makes me worse than you. That doesn't matter. It's justice. It's what you deserve!_

The demon snarled, but kept at it, _This isn't justice. It's petty revenge. And you're gonna damage yourself more when it's done with you._

Bill was unaware of the small, but red, flames flickering on his arms. His adopted brother seemed to have forgotten their lives back in the second dimension, and, more specifically, why Bill had snapped Gabriel's soul into pieces in the first place. 8-Ball curled up. If he didn't know about psychic links, he'd think Bill was about to blow for no reason. But, nonetheless, it scared him.

 _I DON'T CAAAAARE!_ Gabriel roared, furious. After some huffing and puffing, he spoke again, this time in a dangerous tone, _Consider your friend dead. When I'm done with him, he's going to be worse than dead..._ and then the connection cut off, right then and there.

The flames vanished all of a sudden. And his color was restored. His glare softened until he was just staring. Off into space.

8-Ball, after getting himself back into a proper sitting position, finally got up the nerves to speak, "What's wrong, boss?"

"...lots of things.." Bill replied when he snapped out of his stupor. The monster had yet to know Steven was traveling with him. And he wanted to keep it that way.

8-Ball frowned, and then shrugged. He figured he'd be told soon enough, that there was more to this than Bill's past literally coming back to haunt them all, Bill in particular.

The triangle shakily sighed and then re-established a psychic link with Pyronica, almost screaming, _Where are you? it's been more than a 'bit'! we have to hurry! Gabriel has Steven and he's... he's going to kill him!_

There was a noticeable crack in his last sentence, despite him trying to hide it. He still felt horribly conflicted, however, but this side of him now seemed to take the reins more often. And then he stared at his hands.

Oh... why on earth did he let Steven go off on his own...?

Pyronica rushed into view, gasping for breath, "Bill! there you are! we... we kinda got lost!"

Teeth stumbled again, huffing and puffing. 8-Ball smiled a bit when he saw his friend, but the smile didn't last. They still had stuff to take care of.

Bill was trying his best to hide how frazzled he was becoming, but could barely stop shaking. He got up and smiled for only a second, "Oh, thank God you're here. Forget the regroup, we have to find Gabriel and rescue Steven before it's too late!"

8-Ball frowned, "Who's Steven?"

"But he could be anywhere!" Pyronica argued, "What's the chance we find him before anything happens to the boy?" she asked, blatantly ignoring the question.

8-Ball's frown deepened. Teeth simply watched this conversation.

"I..." Bill couldn't think of a good comeback. He rubbed at his top point, calming himself down. "Yeah.. you're right. Still, we should try. Right?"

He had no idea why he was so concerned about Steven, a meatsack who was part Gem. He couldn't explain this feeling, but he was starting to hate it again. But now wasn't the time to push it back. Now was the time for action.

Pyronica sighed, drooping slightly, "I don't know, Bill. It seems kinda like a lost cause to me..."

"Lost cause, huh...?" Bill reiterated. He then sighed, "Maybe. Hopefully he's just bluffing anyway."

8-Ball groaned inaudibly, and started pacing. He was wondering why they were mucking around. He didn't know this Steven, but he seemed important to Bill and that should have been enough. Teeth watched his friend pace now, growing more and more worried by the second.

"Gabriel's ruthless. He will deliver on all the threats he makes. Trust me... I know," she looked away from Bill. Suddenly, all the lights in the building came back on, just like that.

Bill looked up at the now working light fixtures, frowning. He couldn't be happy. Not now. Not while his adopted brother still had Steven. He clenched his fist, getting his resolve back, "We have to find them... I don't care if it's a lost cause. We _have_ to find them."

8-Ball and Teeth looked his way just then, the former with his lips pursed and the latter with his jaws ajar.

"But how? where could they possibly be?" Pyronica put forth, her brow furrowed.

8-Ball resumed pacing, grunting and growling. Teeth paced with him in an attempt to help the ape-like creature calm down.

"I really don't know," Bill admitted as he rubbed at his top point. He was searching for a place though, where he thought Gabriel would be. And one such location was coming into focus...

* * *

 **A/N:** Lots of characters here. But I hope we all played them well. I mean, in the sense that they seem realistic, because the Henchmaniacs were barely given any personality. So we had to play off of whatever was given and add our own. :3  
Ace had Gabriel, obviously, the mystery character, as well as Pyronica. I had Bill, Teeth and 8-Ball. I hope you enjoyed!


	19. A Spanner in the Works

**A/N:** Okay, guys. I have a little explaining to do for you guys. The reason I didn't update this story like I usually do was because I had gone to get help for a (disturbing/dark) mental health issue, since it got worse and ongoing Sunday, and ended up admitted into the Psych Ward for a week since last Monday. I got discharged yesterday, and I feel better. So now it turns out the problem stemmed from the obsession part of OCD - no compulsive behaviors at all -, and I'm taking medicine for it. So now I have three mental differences about me. Yep. ((I wrote three Journals, like Gravity Falls in fact, on my experiences by the way. It fared well for me. X3))  
So, enough about that! also, a guest reviewed this story. Lemme answer it:

/Ilovescarfs: Thank you so much. I'm glad you think this is amazing, mah boi! hehe.

Now then, let's roll out and read! Chapter Nineteen, come on up here! XD

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Nineteen: Spanner in the Works**

"So... let me get this straight... you were actually trying to round us all up?" Kryptos stared wide-eyed at Xanthar, who had chased him almost all throughout the school. It was here, in the cafeteria, that they finally came to an understanding.

Xanthar made a grunting noise that could somehow be interpreted as a yes.

"Oh.. you scared the heck outta me though," Kryptos put a hand to where his heart would be. He sat on one of the tables, resting his nerves. "I thought I was gonna get hurt."

Xanthar then mimicked this action, sitting on one of the other tables. However, it made a loud noise, and soon the table was reduced to dust. The rhombic demon frowned slightly. He made a mental note to fix that table later. Believe it or not, they weren't here to break stuff. He sighed, "Gabriel is something else, isn't he?"

Another grunt, and a sort-of nod to accompany it.

"I can't believe he's doing this..." he leaned forward a little bit, drumming his gloved hands on the table, "No wonder Bill hates talking about his family."

Another nod. Xanthar must have been wishing he could speak.

But, in truth, Kryptos truly had no idea. Other than this was Bill's past coming back to haunt him and them, he didn't know. Even though he'd been Bill's friend longer than all the rest, even Hectorgon, he still felt locked out of the loop sometimes. This was one of those times. He groaned, and rubbed at his buckteeth for a second before he floated up and away from the table, clearing his "throat", "Well, we can't waste time talking. We gotta round up the rest of 'em. The ones who haven't been turned into a Cluster Demon, that is..."

Xanthar then stood up and started running, exiting the cafeteria in only a few rapid steps, once again taking on his task to the fullest. Kryptos jumped. He glanced at the dust and snapped his fingers. The table was restored within seconds, and then he levitated full speed ahead after Xanthar, shouting, "Hey, hey! wait up!"

Xanthar only sped up. Kryptos sighed slightly. "What I meant by rounding them up was not this!" he awkwardly yelled out to him, speeding up as well.

Xanthar grumbled and slid to a halt, hitting a wall and causing little crumbles to appear along it.

"Let's just take things slow and look for them.." Kryptos, when he finally caught up, eyed the cracked wall with dismay.

The purple monster slowly stomped through the place after that, looking and searching. He soon could see glowing in the distance. It could only be Bill and Pyronica! he started running towards it again. Kryptos's eye widened, before he, having fixed the wall with magic, flew after Xanthar, wondering what all the fuss was about. He didn't see anything special. Couldn't see anything special.

The glows soon faded, if they were ever there at all. Xanthar halted, realizing whatever he had seen wasn't here. This is where he saw it... wasn't it? if he had a head, he would've scratched it.

The demon caught up with him again. Instead of growing angry, Kryptos simply turned to stare with confusion at Xanthar, and then he asked calmly and curiously, with a hint of worry in his voice, "What did you see..?"

He shook. Kinda like shaking his head.

"Nothing? well, that explains it... Gabriel must be messin' with our heads..." the navy diamond, eye narrowed, rubbed at his top point, pursing his lips, which was somewhat hard because of his buckteeth.

Xanthar seemed discomforted by that idea, as he shuddered.

"You and me both, friend.." Kryptos then took to patting Xanthar on the back. After a bit, he looked around. Rows of doors were lining either side of this hallway. Perhaps maybe they'd find one of their friends in these room. And hopefully not any of those Cluster Demons. He didn't want to fight them, for he knew they were made from the Henchmaniacs who refused to cut their ties to Bill. Maybe... just maybe he'd find a way to cure them... but he had no idea how nor did he know if it was even possible.

And then he stopped that train of thought. He shook himself, anchoring himself again to their task. He digressed big time right there, and he found it to be a big problem throughout his life, even though it mellowed out nowadays, especially during Weirdmaggedon. And now he was doing it again. He slapped himself mentally, frowning.

Suddenly, all the lights turned off. Xanthar glowed bright purple, helping light the way.

"Ugh, not again," Kryptos groaned. Despite having magic, he didn't bother trying to fix this. He was sure something bad would happen if he tried. Which would explain why Bill didn't try to force the lights back on...

"Well, never mind that. Thanks for the glow, Xanthar. Let's check these doors..." and then he glanced at and made his way to one of them, frowning slightly. Xanthar followed him, silently.

"Say, to make this go faster, could you check the doors on the left? I'll check these right ones here," the diamond suggested, hand now on the knob of the door.

Xanthar immediately started on his task. His hands were way too big to open the doors the normal way, so he just smashed right through them, one by one. It was like he wasn't even looking inside the rooms. Then again, he didn't have eyeballs...

Kryptos watched. He sweatdropped. He saw the flaws right after the plan was implemented. Another sort of problem he had—little to no foresight.

He opened the door, finally, deciding that he'd chastise himself more for this after they were done. He looked inside, searched around a bit, found nothing, and then moved onto the next. His method was rather slow, but workable. Xanthar grumbled loudly, already at the end of the hallway. Some dust fell from the holes he had punched in the wall. The rhombic demon continued this method, halfway down the hallway by now.

Xanthar watched silently and patiently for him to finish. The smaller demon made it to the second-to-last door, and pulled it open. He walked in, looking around, and soon noticed a blue glow radiating from behind a cabinet. He slowly levitated over, eyebrow raised. And there was Keyhole, all huddled up, shaking all over. He squeaked when he opened his eyes and saw Kryptos.

"Hey, relax.. we're on Bill's side," the navy diamond assured him. Or at least tried to.

"O-oh? B-Bill's here?" the little demon was a bit shocked at this.

"Of course! I rushed past him one time, Pyronica too, and a boy was with them," he explained softly, eye narrowing slightly. However, like Teeth and Xanthar, he didn't seem to mind a human in their midst. He had sensed something more about the boy anyway, but was far too frightened to stop and chat with any of them.

"O-oh... but what about...?" he wanted to say Gabriel, but was a little too afraid.

Kryptos sighed, rubbing at his top point. He knew what—or, more precisely, _who_ —Keyhole was thinking about. He replied, frowning, "Hadn't seen Gabriel since the happening in the chemistry lab..."

The demon nodded at this, before he started off another idea, "W-well! w-what if he... you know...!" again, he couldn't say what he wanted.

This time Kryptos couldn't think up an answer. He couldn't seem to piece it together, and, if he didn't have these teeth, he'd purse his lips. He sighed, "No... I actually _don't_ know..."

He shook his head, giving up, "N-never mind!"

The rhombic demon frowned, "Hmm... okay."

He saw how much this stressed out Keyhole, so he decided not to press, even though he wanted to.

"W-we should go find Bill!"

An idea then struck Keyhole. Gabriel wanted Bill dead... so why couldn't _he_ do it? he imagined he would become the star's right hand man after that. It was a nice thought...

But could he actually go through with it?

Kryptos read his thoughts, and raised his only eyebrow, but largely ignored it because Keyhole was unsure about it. He sighed, "Yeah... let's go find Bill. I bet he's worried 'bout us."

Keyhole nodded vigorously, "Y-yeah!"

The demon stayed staring at him for a while, before he left the room. Xanthar was still there, but the floor was cracked because he had sat down while waiting. He looked over and seemed to exude a smile.

"Hey, Xanthar! I found Keyhole!"

The loaf-like creature then hooted with joy as he stood up. The navy diamond snapped his fingers and the floor, and walls and doors, were restored. Keyhole walked out quietly. He was still mulling over that idea.

Xanthar sped over to Keyhole, and Kryptos, eye wide, _immediately_ got out of the way. The purple creature kept hooting. He was honestly so glad to see his friend, so glad that he didn't notice his behavior...

* * *

 **A/N:** So, here we explore another perspective. XP I hope you enjoyed this one. X3  
I was Kryptos, and later on I took Xanthar while Ace took Keyhole when he appeared and Xanthar before Keyhole appeared. Again, they had little to no personality, so we did the liberty of giving them their own traits. I hope they're realistic. X3 And I hope you enjoyed! please leave reviews! I love them so much! I'll see you guys this Thursday or Saturday with the next one!


	20. The Power of Steven

**A/N:** Welp, you're getting another chapter right now. This is to make up for the missed update. So yeah. And since it's short, I'll upload another Sunday. Or Monday. But that's when I go back to school/college from my self-imposed readjustment break. And I have little to no idea what or how much I missed... so yeah. I'll find time, though. Also, I want to thank all those who favorited and followed. Those are appreciated, but reviews so much more. Anyway, onwards with the show! So, enjoy Chapter Twenty, everyone~

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twenty: The Power of Steven**

Gabriel sat in a room of the Zodiac Temple, admiring the gem that his demons had brought him. The gem.. it was rose quartz, a beautiful pink color. But there was so much more to it than that...

He chuckled, thinking about what he could do with it. He tapped it, just a little. A crack began to form within it. What had been a structurally flawless gem was now breaking apart. But just as easily, Gabe put it back together. He was just waiting for the kid to reform, so he could do some real damage. But Bill's forces were soon to be closing in, he knew, as well as, perhaps, some... other entities. It wouldn't be long now.

Several Cluster Demons stood and several eyebats floated around the shoddy, ancient room, which had a just as ancient language written upon its walls, eroded though it was. True to what Pearl had said, the Temple was falling apart, year by year, bit by bit. It was a small wonder it had been holding up for so long.

Pacifier stood among them, frowning softly as she stared at the gem Gabriel was holding, almost glaring at Gabriel himself. It was not too long ago that the star came to all of Bill's friends with an offer to join him. More like a demand, considering what happened to the ones who didn't. Obviously, she had accepted. But it was tearing her up inside just as well.

He stared at it. "Huh... what a strange thing it is, isn't it?" he held it up to what little light there was, and spun it, slowly, looking at the way it caught the light.

"It is... it's pretty..." she quietly remarked.

Meanwhile, the mixed demons simply nodded, droning a loud, unified "yes". The Cluster Demons had nearly no mind or will of their own. They lived to agree, never to disagree. Though they often took things too far, they still followed orders. Pacifier shuddered. She was glad she wasn't one of them, though that could easily change.

"Hmm. This kid has power. We know that much. I wonder..." Gabriel made a little hole, beneath his eye, in his form. He stuck the gem there, and gasped as he pulled out a mirror from nowhere and looked at himself," I'm so... so... beautiful!"

Pacifier deadpanned. The rest of the Cluster Demons nodded once more, droning a, "Yes, you _are_ beautiful, our Lordship. That gem looks nice on you."

The sole pure demon looked around at them, frowning. But she soon covered it all up with a smile and nodded, repeating what they had said with more fervor than she liked.

Gabriel sighed, putting the mirror away. "My Henchmaniacs... surround this place. Report to me immediately if you see _anything_ coming. I don't care if it's a bird or a human or whatever. If something is heading for this Temple, and you see it, I want to know," he ordered, without removing the gem. "Except Pacifier. You stay here. I want to talk to you."

The messed-up demons and pure eyebats nodded and they did as told, exiting the room and surrounding the crumbling perimeter. Pacifier feared the worst, but didn't cower. She looked at Gabriel after they were all gone, but said nothing. She wanted to hear what he wanted to say first.

"It's sad, the way they had to be destroyed. Don't you think so? all they had to do was join me. Pathetic whelps. They deserve it," he shook himself, breaking out of his monologue. "Pacifier, you have a very important job and cannot mess it up. You know the consequences if you do."

She ignored the monologue other than a shiver and nodded, putting up an air of servility. She frowned softly, "Yes, my Lordship... I know... what do I have to do?"

"Did I not tell you? or were you not paying attention?" he narrowed his eye at her. "It seems that perhaps my memory is faltering..." he sighed and turned away, arms crossed behind his back. "William and the traitors, along with my mole, will be here soon..."

"And you want me to destroy them...?" she bowed her head.

"NO!" he suddenly shrieked, turning back around, which slightly scared the black monster, before he calmed down again. "No. I want to fight Bill. The others, however, you can dispose of. There may also be some... others coming. They, too, must be crushed. And you'll see, if they _do_ come, that I mean that literally."

"...understood," she nodded. She hated this, but she'd never show it. Not in front of him at least. She directed her stare to the gem, wondering what was so special about it.

He frowned a little. "You can go join the other... parasites. Same orders to you as to them," he waved her off.

Pacifier frowned as well, and then saluted. She then stalked off, out of the Temple.

Gabriel hummed. _Strange... it's as if I can feel the gem's consciousness within it, as well as the power..._ he thought, touching the gem still connected to him.

The large monster looked at the exterior. Crumbling pillars holding up the entrance still stood strong. They had strange markings on them, dimly glowing just like the runes in that room. She became intrigued and walked towards one of them, and reached out to touch it.

Gabriel began to absorb the power, grinning, laughing. He created a bubble around himself, and used his power against it. It didn't pop. Oh, how useful this would be against William, considering they had the same magic.

Pacifier, just as she was about to touch the pillar, suddenly stopped. It was crumbling as is, and a mere finger could send it toppling down. Especially _her_ finger. She frowned, pulling back and staring at her hands now. Why she was suddenly wishing she had smaller, daintier hands, well, she had no clue...

Gabriel stepped out, looking for Pacifier, hoping she hadn't gotten too far. He grinned when he saw her and shouted, "Hey, Pacifier, try hitting me with your best shot!" he also put up a shield. "I mean, I know you're enamored with me and all, but I'd like to test this out."

Pacifier looked over at him, getting over her "hand situation". She immediately rolled her eyes, and then rushed at him, fist raised to hit the shield.

"No, no," he said, and she stopped inches before the fist connected. "Magic attacks, please," he then smiled. It was unsettling.

She saw that smile. It sent chills down her spine. Pacifier stepped back a few feet, which was rather far considering her size, and her fists starting glowing, until the glows then concentrated into a dark red ball of light in front of them.

"I'll show you magic..." she mumbled, before she shot it off at him. He waited for the impact, shutting his eye. One bubble, one shield... and both him and the gem powering them. Hopefully that'd count for something...

The ball of light traveled at a rather rapid pace, and it soon crashed against the shield and the bubble. Pacifier stared seemingly emotionlessly at the smoke that somehow kicked up at the impact. Gabriel still held his eye shut, a little afraid of what was about to happen. Maybe this wasn't a good idea...

He didn't seem to register that the attack had already hit. The large black monster frowned at this as soon as she could see through the debris. She read his thoughts, and deadpanned further.

"It already hit you..." she stated dully.

"Oh," he jerked a little bit, "of course. I knew that," and then he opened his eye. To Gabriel's amazement, neither the bubble nor the shield had a crack. This would be perfect for fighting against Bill... a little too perfect... "Pacifier, you may now go do as I said before. Go join the... agglomerations outside." He went back into the room, and waited in silence, removing the gem and inspecting it, before replacing it seconds later.

Pacifier nodded, and then lumbered off towards where the Cluster Demons and eyebats were stationed. Oh, how she hated this. But she couldn't change her situation. And, even if she could, Bill and the others would see her as a traitor... an eternal stain on her grade-book...

* * *

 **A/N:** So, as you can see, the story takes on yet another perspective! Ace had Gabriel! and I had Pacifier and the Cluster Demons. This one was pretty dark, I think. Not dark as in gory, of course. Just... dark. I hope you enjoyed! if you don't have reviews, or are one of those anonymous reviewers, - though I encourage you, if you have lots more to say, to make an account here; it's free and easy - then I'll see you either Sunday or Monday with the next one! ta ta for now!

P.S: Also, before anyone says anything again about this, we know Steven can't be poofed and would actually die instead. We just decided to roll with this idea since it, of course, would create more drama and shtuffs, as well as more of a shock factor. And, of course, if Steven died, this story would have ended with Chapter Eighteen or continued a bit differently. ...hm, AU time, I suppose? ...but I digressed. XD Ta ta!

((P.P.S: If I fail to update at the times I say I would, since my older sister's baby shower is Sunday, and college starts again Monday, then I wish you all an early Happy Halloween! and will update Tuesday. Okay, ta ta, for realsies!))


	21. Teleportation Time

**A/N:** Aaaand here we are! just like I promised! This time we return to Bill and Teeth and 8-Ball, who are played by me, and Pyronica, who is played by Ace! XD Chapter Twenty-One! come on out here!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twenty-One: Teleportation Time**

"Okay, guys..." the golden triangle started, hand on his "chin". "It took some work, but I managed to single out a few locations. One in particular is sticking out like a sore thumb."

8-Ball frowned a little, sitting down now, "And what is that place?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Teeth stammered. He wasn't willing to face Gabriel. But if that was what Bill wanted... well, he'd do it.

"The Zodiac Temple..." Bill's eye turned into a projector of sorts, and it displayed the exterior of the building on the floor in a schematic fashion at first before it filled in the grays and shadows. It... had seen better days.

Teeth and 8-Ball looked upon this with awe, nonetheless, though the latter was cooler about it. They had no idea its significance, and the golden demon had no time to explain anyway, but it still didn't take away from the wonder.

"But there's a problem..." he frowned, still speaking calmly despite how he felt inside. "A big one."

"What's the problem?" asked Pyronica, watching the projection, not amused or amazed. Her arms were crossed.

"Well, I'm still recovering from having been stuck in a statue for over half a year..." Bill sighed, cutting off the projector once he let the three-dimensional image rotate for a good minute. "I only got a few of my abilities back..."

8-Ball raised a hand and then spoke, "And lemme guess—teleportation wasn't one of 'em..."

The golden triangle nodded, his frown deepening, "Exactly."

Teeth gulped, starting to sweat. Well, that wasn't good.

"Hmm... maybe we could get, like, a plane or something..." Pyronica proposed.

"That'd take too long..!" the demon shot her suggestion down. He took deep breaths, trying to keep himself calm. He shook himself, gripping at his bowtie, "No. We need to find Xanthar. Remember he was rounding up Kryptos?"

Teeth and 8-Ball were clueless at this part. Though, considering they weren't there at the time and were freaking out themselves, it was justified. But they were both certainly worried about their boss's and friend's well-being. This Gem kid must've been pretty important to him.

"Hmm... yes, but what good will they do?" Pyronica asked, wondering what Bill was getting at.

Bill sighed, rubbing at his eye slightly, having expected Pyronica to get the hint, but he explained anyway, seeing as how they were running out of time, "Kryptos is like me in some ways... he can teleport us there, no problem."

"Ohhh!" Teeth interjected, finally understanding.

8-Ball nodded, "Understood, boss!"

The golden demon looked at the two of them, frowning slightly. But then again, Kryptos never actually used his magic in front of them all, these two in particular, instead just preferring to rely on Bill to do the work. So he was starting to understand their confusion. Pyronica frowned, "So what should we do?"

Bill deadpanned subtly, and raised his arms, "We find them, of course!"

Teeth and 8-Ball nodded, and the latter got up and stretched out his legs.

"Gotcha, boss!" they saluted, and started walking slowly, farther down the lit hallway. Bill glanced at Pyronica, letting worry show on his eye for only a second before he set it aside and followed them. She sighed and followed behind him.

Teeth and 8-Ball called out for them every now and then, looking into several classrooms. Bill did the same, sometimes speeding ahead of them. They needed to do this fast. Pyronica kept up easily, frowning as she looked from place to place.

"Wait, hold on, are they even _in_ this particular wing?" Bill stopped suddenly. He'd almost caused an accident, since he was directly in front of 8-Ball and Teeth at the time. They had to stop _hard_. The ape-like creature and denture demon frowned slightly as they soon recomposed themselves, humming with confusion. They again had no clue.

Pyronica growled. "We don't have time for this!" she hissed, and lifted her arms. When she did so, the ceiling lifted up too. She climbed up a wall and looked for them from there. The triangle raised an eyebrow slightly, but soon followed her. She was right after all. Steven was running out of time. If he hadn't run out of time already...

He shuddered at the thought and shoved it aside. He couldn't think like that. He couldn't afford to break down now.

8-Ball grabbed Teeth and hurriedly clambered up the wall as well, trailing behind them both. They both had the same thought, but it held less significance to them than it did to Bill.

"Everyone, look for them! they have to be around here somewhere!" Pyronica, however, understood, albeit not fully, how much it meant to Bill, getting Steven back in one piece. She definitely didn't want to be blamed for making them lose time. 8-Ball and Teeth nodded, and the former put the latter down. They separated a distance, but not too far, looking around. Bill took the back of this place, trying to see if he could feel their auras. For some reason, this power seemed to be failing him right now. He growled slightly.

Pyronica focused mainly on keeping the roof raised. "C-c'mon, guys, hurry! I can only keep this up so long!" The roof began to tremble.

"I don't see anything up here!" Teeth and 8-Ball said almost simultaneously. They both climbed back down into the hallway. Bill wasn't giving up. He looked harder, and soon saw glimpses of them. Kryptos and Xanthar, as well as Keyhole. They were in the opposite wing, just as he thought. His eye widened, and he recorded their location before he headed down into the hallway as well. Pyronica jumped down soon enough. Slowly, but surely, the ceiling descended, and rejoined with the walls, stronger now.

"I found them! and they have another one of our friends!" the triangle stated triumphantly. The cheer was only superficial. He couldn't feel any _real_ cheer until they got Steven back, _safely_ , from his adopted brother's hands.

"Really?" 8-Ball smiled a little. Teeth grinned a bit. The joy was obviously a little more genuine for them. Bill nodded.

"So? where are they?" the flame demon asked, wanting to cut to the chase.

"They're in the other wing! let's go!" he wasted no time and immediately shot off in the other direction. Teeth and 8-Ball exchanged glances but followed as fast as they could, Pyronica too.

* * *

Kryptos had felt the school shake violently twice now, and quivered, looking about, "Wha.. what was that?!"

The cheer that the school's lights had finally turned back on became quickly short-lived. Xanthar shuddered a bit, rumbling a possible answer, that it might be Gabriel's attempt to bring the school down on them all. The rhombic demon frowned slightly, eye widening, "I hope _that's_ not the case..."

Keyhole squeaked. "W-we're all gonna die!" he hid under Xanthar, who made no move, except to stare down at Keyhole and set an arm in front of him protectively, exuding an aura of worry.

"Oh, don't worry... we're all demons, remember? we can take what humans can't," Kryptos reassured them all, looking at them now. But even _he_ wasn't so sure... besides, Gabriel could always strengthen the force of the building so that it could kill or horribly maim them when it came down. He shuddered at the prospect.

"O-oh, yeah..." the blue demon sighed of relief, and suddenly paused for a few seconds. "Do you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Kryptos raised his only eyebrow. Xanthar seemed confused, a muffled grumble escaping his "face".

"Listen..." was his simple instruction. The others quieted and did so. They soon heard the patter of footsteps in the distance echo through the halls. Keyhole gasped as an idea came to him, "What if it's Gabriel and his...?"

He drifted off, not able to find a proper word. The two other demons gasped as well, though with the larger creature it was more like a strangled, short rumble, and Kryptos backed into Xanthar, who didn't mind. They soon started hearing voices, familiar ones among the rapid footsteps, shouting their names. Kryptos's eye widened, and he slowly started smiling as he stated, "Wait... I don't think it's Gabriel and his Cluster Demons at all!"

Xanthar grumbled again, relieved only slightly. Keyhole wiped the sweat off his brow, "G-good! I was just a little afraid!"

"I think we all were," Kryptos sighed, giving Xanthar some space. Bill soon came into view, at the far end of the hallway behind them. He smiled when he saw them and shouted, "Kryptos! Xanthar! Keyhole! my old pals!"

The rhombic demon turned around, and so did Xanthar, being careful not to crush Keyhole, and they smiled too, though the large demon just exuded an aura of happiness. Keyhole was as shaky as ever, and it seemed even more so with Bill there. He was still thinking over that plan of his...

"Bill!" Kryptos explained, levitating a little closer, "Oh, thank goodness you're safe!"

The golden demon had forgotten to ask Kryptos for his side of the story. He was simply too happy that he'd found them, and thus their plan to save Steven could roll into phase two. He smiled a little, "I'm glad you're safe too!"

8-Ball and Teeth soon came into view too, panting and almost collapsing onto the floor. Pyronica soon joined them, but stayed standing, looking rather frazzled. Xanthar rumbled happily when he saw them.

"We-we don't have time for this!" the only female demon of this group hissed, though she would have liked a hug.

"Are you three alright?" the golden demon asked, partially ignoring what Pyronica had said. Xanthar nodded in reply, and then walked over to the flame monster, sensing that she needed a hug, and gave her a quick one. It was barely reciprocated. Keyhole soon nodded as well, still a little antsy.

"Yah, we're fine, Bill," the rhombus smiled slightly, "but what's the hurry?"

8-Ball and Teeth tried to explain, but they were talking at the same time, almost frantically, and it was a bit hard to make out. Kryptos was patient though, frowning a little as he tried to pick up on any key words. Bill, however, was not, and he frowned more deeply, crossing his arms.

With a wave of Pyronica's hand, they fell mute, and she started to fill them in, "Gabriel captured someone that Bill cares a lot about. We're going to go and retrieve them, as well as crumble Gabe's forces. Any questions?" she then asked, unmuting the two.

Teeth and 8-Ball patted their mouths, or in the former's case, teeth, as a reaction to being muted and then unmuted. Xanthar reacted with horror, but soon shook his head. He had no questions. He had a feeling he knew who Gabriel had taken.

"Really? well, that's no good! but who else could Bill actually care about?" Kryptos raised an eyebrow. Bill almost glared at him, out of impatience and possibly offense, but kept quiet.

"It doesn't matter. We have to go now before something horrible happens!" Pyronica then started running to the entrance. Bill nodded and then floated after her. 8-Ball and Teeth, and Kryptos and Xanthar trailed behind them.

The ambulances had long gone, and so had the news people. A certain tall, but plump, young man with blond, strange hair stood a fair distance away though, filming another shape with fervor and murmuring stuff about this all going on his blog later. He'd seen it on the news way earlier, and thus he rushed all the way here with his equipment so he could record everything. Unfortunately for him, none of the people allowed him inside. So he had to settle for the outside, which was less fun. Except for the part when he saw and captured on film the roof suddenly rise inexplicably only to him. He had grinned.

Keyhole was at the caboose, trying hard to keep up but doing a terrible job. He feared he would be left behind. Pyronica, at the lead, reached the door first, and kicked it open.

"Move, move, move!" she shouted, before she noticed a familiar hexagonal shape by the entrance, leaning against the wall.

Bill rushed out, and also noticed. His eye was wide, and then he smiled soon enough, "Hectorgon! hey!"

Hectorgon was somewhat like him. He had powers too. So that compounded upon his joy. That and it was a relief to see that the hexagon hadn't betrayed him like he was led to believe. Said demon smiled and tipped his hat to Bill, clicking his tongue.

Xanthar got kinda stuck in the door, so 8-Ball, Kryptos and Teeth had to push him out. Keyhole simply watched, frowning a little. It was hard, but they managed, and collapsed onto the ground soon after. The large creature mumbled, apologizing, but they forgave him. The small blue demon trailed out of the entrance, quivering slightly.

"W-what now?" asked Keyhole, softly, almost squeaking.

"Now? now, we grab onto each other and teleport to the Zodiac Temple," Bill narrowed his eye. But were they all ready? they _had_ to be. Steven was depending on them all.

Kryptos nodded, and grabbed the ones near him, like 8-Ball, Xanthar and Teeth, who all braced for this. Bill grabbed onto the rhombic demon, a sick feeling in his stomach. He had a feeling not all of them would survive...

And then Ronaldo, who had been silently and inwardly squeeing at all this, suddenly stepped up to them, unable to hold in that urge, still filming them. He said slowly, thinking at first that they didn't understand English, "Heya, strange creatures!"

Keyhole squeaked and hid behind everyone else, holding right to them. Kryptos frowned and rolled his eye slightly at the way Ronaldo was speaking. Bill growled, narrowing his eye at the man, "We're busy here, meatsack!"

"Woah!" this only made the man grin wider. "You're feisty. That's good for the camera!"

Bill's eye briefly widened and then he groaned, brow furrowing, as the others simply stared at Ronaldo, with 8-Ball and Teeth looking very unimpressed and the large purple creature seeming fairly interested. Hectorgon then smiled and waved, one hand connected to Xanthar. Pyronica glared and set the camera aflame with the twitch of her eye.

"NO! my footage!" Ronaldo screamed, and then tried to put the fire out the best he could. But he did notice Hectorgon, and waved back halfheartedly, frowning slightly.

The golden triangle laughed, obviously enjoying this, but he then said, "Sorry, kid, but we don't have time for this!"

Whether the apology was sincere or not was left up to debate. He then glanced at Kryptos, and the rhombic demon took this as his cue, and shouted, "Here we goooo!"

And then they glowed brightly and vanished. The young man was able to salvage his camera, but it was too late. The monsters were gone. He sighed, "At least I have _some_ of this on film..." but then perked up, "NOW TO UPDATE MY BLOG!"

He then rushed back to his post, excited again.

* * *

 **A/N:** And we have a special guest in this chapter. Ronaldo! he was also played by me; I hope I captured him well. And we see the Henchmaniacs, well, most of them, are back together now! Kryptos and Xanthar were played by me. Keyhole and Hectorgon were played by Ace! woohoo! isn't that a wonderful cliffhanger? lol! I hope you enjoyed, and I also hope you caught the reference I snuck in there. Leave a wonderful review, and I'll see you this Saturday. Have a Happy Early Halloween, everyone!


	22. The School's Witness Account

**A/N:** And I'm back with yet another chapter! we're moving onto another perspective, folks! I want to thank all of you for following and faving, and keeping with this story. It really makes my and Ace's day. So, that said, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twenty-Two: The School's Witness Account **

Wendy was in her first period woodworking class, luckily one of the only classes that weren't affected by Bill's magic. She'd felt something _wrong_ here the moment she set foot in the building. But, other than the lights turning off while it was crowded, nothing much happened. She sighed, putting on her goggles as she concentrated on shaving a piece of wood into the shape of a pen.

She kept an eye on the machine, and the shrinking wood. She wanted this perfect. Not once did she think about Bill, Steven, or the conversation with Ford and Stan as she worked, for she was in her element. The teacher walked around, eyeing everyone's work. She saw Wendy's and smiled, rather impressed.

Meanwhile, in the computer lab, the teacher had written something on the board. He explained in a slightly thick accent, "Okay, class, today is a free research day. Feel free to research anythink you want, but only within parameters of the rules."

The students cheered nonetheless, and fired up their desktops. They then took a look at the board and saw the fine print. They had to type up a short summary of what they researched. Some got frustrated, but others didn't mind. Connie was one of the latter. She found this the perfect opportunity to look up Gravity Falls. She frowned when she saw the results...

They weren't what she wanted—they didn't say where she knew the place from.

The computer was quite sluggish too. As were the rest of them. The students groaned, some of them restraining hitting their computers lightly to try and fix the problem. They knew they'd get in big trouble for that. Connie, however, didn't care about how slow they were. Or tried her best to ignore it. She read a few articles on the town, and there was a flash of something in her brain. Had she... been there once? she thought she had. But wouldn't she have remembered?

The teacher sat in his chair, humming softly. He rocked a little bit, and spun around. Despite the obvious distractions, he kept an eye on the students the best he could.

Videos were buffering. Websites were taking a long while to load. And, worst of all, browsers began crashing. Some students rage quit, while others started to seethe, still working at their research nonetheless. Connie's was the only one that seemed to be working well at the moment, if a bit unresponsive at times. The teacher's eyebrows rose at this. The girl stared at the computer, frowning when an unfamiliar blue page came up. But a second later, the fire alarm began to ring. She looked up and around, as the computer lab teacher gasped, jolting up. The students groaned, but were also quite scared. They couldn't believe this day was getting worse already.

Wendy, concentration ruined, almost ruined her project as well. She frowned as she looked up, seeing the room flash between its regular color and red. Though this may have been her imagination. She also heard screaming from another part of the school, intermixed with the alarm, and got up, eyes and mouth wide open. The rest of the students seemed scared, but also bewildered. The teacher tried to keep things calm, and ordered the students to leave in an orderly fashion. The way some of them left was definitely not orderly.

Connie assumed it was a drill, and behaved the best she could, beginning to leave the classroom. The man provided the best instructions he could as fast as he could with his accent, but his students ran out of the classroom, unable to take this. The situation seemed serious, and they couldn't afford to muck around. The instructor then shrugged and followed them.

Wendy tore off her goggles and left the room, followed by the teacher, into the now crowded hallway. She looked about, trying to get around, and people frequently bumped into her accidentally. And also bumped into other people. It was chaos, generally. And she couldn't help but think about Bill. She frowned. And, to make matters worse, the lights flickered off. Just about everyone screamed.

Connie didn't though, and she recognized the red hair in the crowd, just before the last blink of light died, with a gasp. She found it hard to get over there, however, and herself getting set back only farther. Wendy didn't scream either, even though she couldn't see a thing. She kept as cool as she usually was. The crowd, frantic as it was, pushed her in Connie's direction. The instructors could be heard trying to calm everyone down, but they were somewhat drowned out by the screams. A few students pulled out flashlights, and turned them on, but they inevitably shone in some faces, blinding those people. More screams compounded from the other side of the building, where the chemistry lab was. Screams of fear, of horror, and screams of pain. The redhead flinched, and she didn't _want_ to know what was going on there. Connie shuddered, afraid of what was going on here. Maybe she should have stayed home today...

Wendy tried to speak, but whatever she said was drowned out too. The crowd kept pushing her, until she bumped into Connie. But she didn't know it was her. It was far too dark. The crowd then seemed to move the opposite way, as if desperately trying to get itself together and find the back exit. A bunch of light shone through as an exit was soon found. Kids ran out like the devil was on their heels. And so did the instructors.

Roars kicked up, it seemed, near the back of the building, and then a small number of screams. Wendy's eyes widened. Despite the source being far away at the moment, she'd had experience that monsters could cover ground _very_ rapidly.

And then the lights flickered back on as the number of people in the halls dwindled, and finally Wendy and Connie, and the few remaining students and instructors, could see. Not that this provided any relief. The students and instructors were still terrified, and could be heard talking about what happened, but it was muffled. Apparently, these students were from the chemistry lab, and were the few who managed to escape unscathed. Connie turned to them. "What happened?" she asked, wondering.

They simply quieted and then mumbled, completely pale, and kept walking, stiff now, out the door and joining the others in the parking lot. Obviously whatever happened had traumatized them. The redhead recognized the voice and turned to the source. She smiled a little when she saw her, "Connie?"

So she was right about possibly meeting her again. What a small world. But she probably wouldn't have if none of this happened. She'd attended this school since she arrived, and she hadn't even seen Connie. Granted, she hadn't been (actively) looking for her, nor did she know what she looked like.

"Wendy? hey!" Connie smiled at her.

The smile barely got bigger, but it was enough. Her hair was messed up and frazzled from being shoved around a lot. But she didn't care.

"Are you okay, man?" she asked, jumping to the chase and scanning the girl for any bruises.

"I'm fine. I was in the computer lab."

"Oh, good..." she sighed of short-lived relief, brushing some stray hair strands away from her face, "seems like all the trouble happened in the chemistry lab. And I do NOT want to find out what went down in there..."

"Where were you?"

"I was in woodworking," she answered,—the brunette nodded—and then looked around. Those roars she heard earlier were starting to get to her, and the sudden silence didn't help. Connie was creeped out now too, "...it's so quiet. Too quiet..."

"That line is so overused, man, but it fits too much here..." Wendy allowed a shudder to travel her back. And then she looked at the door, frowning a little, "We should get going... the school isn't safe... not anymore..."

Connie agreed and then ran to the door and pulled it with all her might. She paled, eyes widening, "It's not opening!"

Wendy followed her, and then frowned softly, deadpanning. She then put a hand on the door and pushed it open quite simply, a laughing smile on her face now. The brunette laughed, relieved, "Right. I should have tried that."

Wendy laughed, unable to hold it in, "Yeah, man. C'mon."

She then headed out the door, with Connie trailing her. In the parking lot crowded the horrified, fearful students and instructors and other staff who managed to escape unscathed. A few more people who had been chased by the monster ran out, almost knocking them aside. They had long since lost the creature, however, so the evacuated people were safe. Telltale sirens of the ambulances sounded throughout the air. Wendy cringed. She knew now people had gotten hurt. The brunette looked around, frowning. She was wondering what exactly was going on.

Wendy had a sort of idea _how_ this happened. But not the _what_ was happening. She sighed, mumbling to herself, "This has Bill written all over it..."

She rubbed at her forehead, looking at the crowd. The instructors were still trying to keep everyone calm, and so far they were successful. After all, they were now out of the madness that was their school. Now they just talked amongst themselves, and the two were able to hear some of what they said.

"That chemistry lab was lit. And not in a good way," Buck could be heard saying, still in that usual calm tone, but there was a bit of an edge to it.

"That mixer, man," another, more unfamiliar student said, shuddering. "It completely ruined the dude's face... the chemicals, that is."

A female voice picked up, Jenny's, "And all those demons that rose up from them mixed chemicals... oh, my god."

Wendy's eyes were completely wide, and she nodded to herself, _Yep. This is Bill's handiwork..._

"Demons? chemicals?" an idea hit Connie. "I know who can help! Wendy, come with me, we're going to get Steven!" she grinned.

"Well, okay then," Wendy was pulled from her trance. She looked around, to the front of the building. She saw the news truck soon enough. She then sighed. People were surely going to be talking about this for days, which meant this was far weirder than what the townsfolk regularly encountered. She shook her head, getting herself grounded, and smiled a little, looking back at Connie, "I hope you're right, man. Lead the way."

She then began the long walk to the beach, where the Temple Guardian stood proud. Wendy followed her. She hoped Steven was okay. She knew Bill was hanging around him, and this made her _really_ uneasy...

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaaaand it ends on a cliffhanger! and the next one won't be out till next Thursday or Saturday, or perhaps THIS Saturday! :D  
I hope you enjoyed the new focus. I was Wendy, and Ace was Connie. :3 And Buck and Jenny, both portrayed by me, had a brief cameo. I hope we portrayed them well. Also, please leave those wonderful reviews. I love them so, so much. If you don't have any reviews to leave me, then I'll see you either this Saturday, or next Thursday. Ta ta!


	23. Remembrance and A Tale Untold

**A/N:** Wow, this one is a long one. Like about 4,818 words. Longer than the very first Wham Chapter that is Chapter Ten. However, I wanna start out by saying that I'm shocked at having received only two reviews for the previous chapter. I understood, however, that this is when school really bites down hard. So, based on this reason and another, I decided to have y'all wait instead of uploading it last Saturday. But now that I come back to post this, still two reviews. It's weird. So, yeah. Hope I'm not coming off as ungrateful. I'm just a little worried, is all. Lemme extend a thank you to those who favorited me and this story, and to the two who reviewed! thank you!

So, now that that's out of the way, here's Chapter Twenty-Three, which continues right from the last one! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twenty-Three: Remembrance and A Tale Untold**

The two teenage girls climbed the steps to the Temple, and soon Connie knocked on the door. But there was no answer.

"I guess they're not home..." the brunette got another idea, pulling out her phone, "hold on, I'm going to call him..." she activated her speed dial, calling his phone, but was disappointed when she heard it ring from within the house.

"Does that usually happen...?" Wendy frowned. This made her feel sick to her stomach. What if Bill already had his way with Steven...? the thought sent another shudder down her spine.

"I'm sure he's out at the Big Donut or something," she smiled at Wendy, trying to assure her. "He _would_ be out, on a beautiful day like this."

"...I dunno, man... no person would ever leave their phone," the redhead sighed, trying to keep herself calm. "I don't think he'd forget it..."

"Maybe he did. You never know. Maybe he was in a rush... in fact, he might already be at the school, having heard the news!"

"Oh no..." she paled. That wasn't a prospect she wanted. Then again, none of these possibilities racing in her head were ideal. She then kicked the door open, deciding to just check for herself, and walked in, and Connie followed, blinking slightly. The television was the first thing they heard, as it was still on and tuned into the local news channel. And, of course, the local news was focused on the school at the moment.

"Wow. Literally..." Connie hadn't expected that. The redhead nodded. She took a look around, eyeing that strange light blue door, and the Warp Pad. But she largely ignored them. Ever since Weirdmageddon, nothing much fazed her anymore. All she did was wonder what they did. But this wasn't the time. She called for Steven again, wondering if he was just in another part of the house. And then she called for Bill with a ton of hesitation. There was no answer from the triangle...

Nor was there an answer from the boy himself...

Connie sighed, "Just as I expected. We should go try and help them!"

"I don't think we can..." she heard more from the television. A Gem Monster was apparently running rampant. She grimaced. That explained the roars...

She'd usually face weird problems head-on, like she used to, but now she just wanted to rest. She'd grown rather weary of all the weird things in Gravity Falls, which was one of the reasons why she took this job Mr. Poolcheck had so graciously signed her up for. She walked over and started climbing the stairs, so she could see exactly what was going on at school. Never mind her earlier aversion to it.

Connie followed. "Let's just wait here for Steven to come back... maybe we'll see it on the news! but, in the meantime..." she adjusted her glasses, "I'd like to talk about Gravity Falls."

Wendy stiffened immediately. Her gaze grew cold and glossy. Her eyes stared at the television, but didn't take in anything.

"I... I feel like I've been in Gravity Falls before," the bespectacled girl admitted as she continued. "It's familiar... but I don't know. Wouldn't I remember if I've been there? it's like déjà vu or something..."

The redhead shook this off eventually. She shrugged once she took in what Connie had said, and tapped at her chin, "That's really strange..."

Connie nodded, "Definitely."

Wendy hummed with thought, staring at the television. She saw one glimpse of the Gem Monster and shuddered, before she reached down and turned off the television, having had enough of that.

"Maybe it'd be best if you _did_ research into it... if only to solve this mystery..." she seemed to resign a little.

"Could you tell me about it, maybe?"

She sighed, and then went over to sit on the bed, moving the abandoned, empty breakfast plates aside. Wendy played a little with one of Steven's stuffed animals, almost smiling a little. She didn't really have a problem with talking about the town itself, but Weirdmageddon was the first thing she'd often think. So she began, "Well, it's a weird town. Weirder than this one, perhaps. Or just as weird. It had all sorts of supernatural creatures, the stuff of legend."

"Like what? the Loch Ness Monster?" asked Connie, as a sort of joke.

"Yes," Wendy stated simply. The joke wasn't a joke to her, and the brunette's eyes widened slightly as she realized that. "But weirder. Manotaurs instead of Minotaurs. They had gnomes though. And unicorns. And a multibear." She waved a hand, looking a little disturbed as she thought of but didn't say the names of the more unsavory creatures, "Lots of stuff."

"But wouldn't I remember that?" Connie scrunched up her face a bit, "all I seem to remember... is that it's a peaceful town with nice, albeit boring people..."

"Boring?" the redhead chuckled, "more like strange." She then hummed with thought, and eventually said, "We should head to the library. Maybe we'll find something that'll jog your memory."

Connie nodded, "It's right by the school too. We'll hear about what's going on, if we keep an ear out."

Wendy frowned immediately, but nodded also, "Yeah. Alright, man..."

A giant pink lion seemed to appear out of nowhere just then, hopping up to the attic.

"Hey, Lion!" Connie grinned and hugged the thing, who purred slightly.

Wendy jumped off the bed out of shock, for she wasn't expecting that. Her eyes widened for only a second, but the emotion was still written in her face. She eventually stammered out, "Uhh. Steven owns a lion. He..he owns a lion."

As if that was the weirdest thing she'd seen. But she was caught off guard.

"Yeah, I was surprised too," she climbed onto his back. "Get on! he's going to take us to the library!"

Wendy then smiled, and then got on as well. This certainly beat walking. She was expecting the lion to just get up and run them over there. Boy, she would be so wrong...

He began to bound around the room, over and over, faster and faster. Connie shouted, "Hold on!"

Though the redhead didn't need to be told this. Her eyes widened once more, and she held onto his fluffy mane. Eventually Lion roared, and a swirling vortex appeared, which he hopped through. A few seconds of traversing through the fabric of space later and they ended up next to the library. Connie hopped off like it was no big deal. The redhead, however, was completely pale and her hair was shooting straight up. She got off dizzily, almost collapsing, "Ugh... that was a trip, dude..."

"Yeah, sure was!" Connie realized Wendy was dizzy and did her best to help, putting an arm around her, supporting her.

"Thanks, man..." she slowly steadied herself, and looked around. She could, albeit with a blurry vision, see the school from here. It looked calm on the outside, but the news van and ambulances that were still out there said otherwise, and they could even see a few people getting loaded into said vehicles.

Connie looked concerned and horrified, and she frowned a bit, "Looks pretty rough, doesn't it?"

"Yeah... it does... I'm just glad the majority of the staff and students got out safely..." she slightly slurred, still dizzy as she leaned a little on Connie for support. Being as tall as she was for her age, this was hard.

Connie sat her down on the steps leading to the library, sighing, "I'm sorry about that—I should have warned you..."

"Bygones, man..." she mumbled, rubbing at her head. She glanced over at Lion, for once actually fazed. How did he have the power to do that?

"My mom's a doctor. She told me if you're dizzy, you should shake your head," the bespectacled girl suggested, unknowingly interrupting the redhead's thoughts.

Wendy blinked, but did as suggested, albeit gently. It actually seemed to work in ridding her of the dizzy spell, a little bit. She smiled, and stood up shakily, "Wow. Thanks, dude..! your mom's great with medical advice."

This made her feel sad inside. But she refused to show it. She had to be strong in this situation.

She nodded. "Thank you! so, why are we here at the library?" asked Connie, frowning now. She seemed to have forgotten.

"Gravity Falls," Wendy replied simply, taking her mind off her own mother. Her dizzy spell had mostly faded, so she could now stand without shaking and see without fail.

"Oh, right!" Connie ran up the stairs. The tall teenager followed her, not running because she was still a little woozy. She now took the time to try and fix her hair so that it didn't stick up straight anymore.

The girl pushed open the doors, and headed for the computers, sitting down at one of them and firing it up. Thankfully, it was just as fast as the school computers used to be. Wendy sat at the computer next to her and looked over her shoulder. She slightly shook her head again, sighing. She hoped Connie wouldn't accidentally stumble upon _that_ event while searching up the town, but, with the Act that Mayor Cutebiker passed almost immediately after the event, the chances of that were pretty slim. And she was right. Thanks to the "Never Mind All That" Act, there wasn't a trace of weirdness seen of the town. Wendy sighed of relief, inwardly.

Connie scrolled through the photos, which displayed some of the various locations around town, including but not limited to Greasy's, one of the UFO-shaped valley, the town hall, the graveyard, a couple of the forest, and a few shots of the Mystery Shack. The brunette hummed with concentration. The redhead set and pressed her elbow into the chocolate wood of the table, her head leaning against her hand as she watched Connie do her research. Hopefully _something_ would come back to her. And then her eyes widened as she finally realized the implications.

Connie kept scrolling. "It's like I've seen it before. And... something else." A flash of something dark red appeared before her mind's eye. And then... a sound. Like something warming up, some kind of machine. She shook her head, "I don't know..." and then sighed, moving to close the window, "Maybe this whole thing is a bust."

"Try harder," mumbled Wendy, furrowing her brow. This was the only explanation for it all. No other reason was as fitting as this one.

Connie did as said and kept scrolling. Pictures of a postcard displaying the Northwest Mansion as well as the statue, and then... a peculiar picture of a certain triangle they all knew. But she ignored it, dismissing it as something not really important to her current goal.

And then there were pictures of the mall, one of a map of the place. A library, a couple of a museum. But Connie didn't see those, having decided to give up and click the X. Wendy sighed, rubbing at her forehead and then running her hands through her hair. That society must have gotten to her. And to her family. Her eye twitched. But she decided to tear her mind away from that, frowning slightly at Connie giving up, "What's up?"

"It's futile. I can't find anything," she sighed, but began to wonder why there were so many pictures. She didn't realize they were all from one website, one blog.

"Try again, dude..." Wendy mumbled again, shaking her head once more, still trying to recover from the dizzy spell. "Maybe one of those pictures will trigger something." And then she thought of something, "Or, if you're lucky, you'll find a video."

That was the thing that had McGucket finally remember who he was. A video of his memories being played back. Traumatic and despairing though it was, it helped him a lot. So she thought it would help her. Though it obviously wouldn't be her exact memories.

Connie sighed, and shook her head. "I don't think I'll find anything... maybe I should just head home. Call it a day," she resigned with a shrug.

The redhead wouldn't stand for this. She set her hands down on the connected desk, frowning gently at Connie, and spoke evenly, "You'll never find anything if you give up. You don't strike me as a person to give up so easily anyway."

"I feel like this won't help, though. There's something missing..." she looked up at Wendy. "You know?"

She blinked, and hummed slightly, "Like maybe we're looking in the wrong place...? that wouldn't be too farfetched actually." She put a hand on her chin, stroking it a little.

"What do you mean by that?" Connie raised an eyebrow.

"What if we found some books? maybe there's some secret archive around here somewhere," she drifted off a little, looking towards the tall bookcases. But she wasn't exactly _that_ serious with the "secret archive" thing.

The brunette sighed, "Alright."

The redhead got up, having finally made a full recovery, and started heading off towards the bookcases, frowning slightly. Connie followed, blinking slightly. "Do you have any idea what it could be?" she asked softly, looking up at Wendy.

She simply shrugged, heading for the Geography section. She'd never really been to this part of the library. She usually just stuck around the computers. On their way there, they passed the fantasy/science fiction sections. Wendy stopped and then backtracked. With Gravity Falls's reputation, it'd probably be in _this_ section instead. So she walked down, eyeing the books on their shelves. Connie frowned. "Why are we looking in here?" she asked, starting to scan the shelves as well.

"Gravity Falls has a reputation for fantastic things, dude," she replied, leaning back against the bookcase behind her.

"Like, uh," she took a look at a random book, "the Loch Ness Monster?" she frowned, and then found a book about anomalies she was ninety-nine percent sure was nonfiction, therefore in the wrong section.

Wendy nodded, setting a foot on one of the shelves behind her, "Yep."

Connie was vaguely, if at all, surprised, staring back at Wendy now.

"I told you this before, man," the redhead frowned, and then slid her foot over a little, unknowingly hitting something, "but I can understand."

Something was triggered, and at the very end of the aisle a part of the wall was starting to collapse in on itself.

"This is entirely new to you, and the town itself is even weirder than this town," she didn't even notice, as she kept talking.

Connie, however, had noticed, and grew increasingly more interested in the wall than what Wendy was saying, but she was interested all the same. She replied with a question, "Really? how so?"

"Weirder things than Gem Monsters roam around," she explained, still not noticing. The bricks making up the wall closer to the floor soon became stairs, and clicked and clacked as each set themselves into the structure.

The bespectacled girl had a wave of déjà vu again, but didn't know why or where it was from. She responded again, trying hard to pay attention to the redhead, "Oh?"

"Yeah," she didn't feel like explaining this bit, for she already had. She began wondering whether the memory gun had anterograde amnesiac properties too. And then she looked towards the wall, and finally noticed, very nearly jumping back with shock. She really didn't think there would be a secret passageway here. But why _would_ she be shocked? why _didn't_ she expect it? had living here for the better half of a year made her forget what it was like to live in a place of mystery and secrets?

Connie wasted no time and began down the steps, intrigued by the path and what purpose it served. Wendy jumped again, eyes widening, and hurriedly followed her, warning her to be careful. With every step they took, torchlights on either side of them swooshed on so they could see properly. The brunette flew down the steps as fast she could, determined to understand what was going on here. The young redhead teenager, however, was much more careful about this, surprisingly. They both had no idea what was down there. She sped up just a little bit, though, and soon they finally found the end, and the torchlights here flickered on as well. It was a rather large, well-lit but dingy room with several tall bookcases, filled with tomes on almost every anomaly in the world, as far as she could tell—one of the bookcases was marked "The Bermuda Triangle", among a few other locations. Her eyes widened at this, and she scanned the room, whispering, "Woah..."

Connie was already by one of the bookcases. "It's like some sort of..." she didn't finish her sentence, too busy dusting off a book.

"Database of every weird thing?" Wendy finished pensively, eyes still wide. She walked towards one of the shelves, "I think so..."

The bespectacled brunette picked up another book. "Hey, this one's on Gems..." she muttered, wondering just who wrote these books, why, and why they were down here. If the person who wrote them, or people, had put them down here. She looked around for an answer or two.

Wendy picked up on the mutter, and her eyes widened further. Someone, or some _people_ , must have had a _lot_ of time on their hands... or maybe the person behind this all wasn't even a person to begin with. She gulped a little bit, and grabbed a book. This one was on a certain dream demon. This alarmed her somewhat. But, as curious as she was to read it now, she decided it'd have to wait. So she glanced around, and snuck the book into her inside jacket pocket, inwardly thanking herself for choosing to wear a jacket today.

Connie opened the pages, and blew off the dust. She flipped through them, cleaning them one by one, with hand or air. Wendy walked over to her and knelt down next to her, wondering what book she had gotten, if it wasn't the same book on Gems. The brunette didn't seem to notice Wendy, setting her book down for a moment to look at the other ones for anything better. The redhead sighed, standing up again, and walked around. She was reminded of what they came down here for in the first place. So she began searching for a book on Gravity Falls again.

Connie found some books, and sat down and started reading, right there, in the dim and dusty light. She muttered things as she read—"ooh" and "ahh", and "hmm" were the most common. The other girl chuckled, but coughed a little due to the dust in the air. She kept searching for a book, finger tracing and eyes scanning some of the spines. She had to pull out the books that hadn't had a title on their spines, however, but they weren't what she wanted despite being highly interesting. But she couldn't resist plopping down and reading through some of them. Connie continued reading, eyes wide. And so did Wendy, surprisingly enough. She'd obviously become quite the bookworm here in Beach City.

Suddenly, after a few minutes, there was a clicking sound, and the room darkened just a little. The same thing happened again, so Connie looked up, and saw two of the torches had been put out. Wendy also looked up, eyes widening. She had a bad feeling this would happen, but was wondering what it could be. She stood up and began making her way back over to Connie before it got too dark to see, cautiously quiet just in case something was listening for them.

Two more clicks. They seemed to be getting faster. Connie stood up, just then, the first book she found back in her hands now, and voiced her thoughts, "I think we should get going."

Wendy found the girl soon enough, and sighed of relief. She nodded, "Yeah, I think we should... have you found anything though?"

She hoped the answer was a yes. But they'd have to leave no matter what. She didn't want to know what would happen if all the torches went out while they were still down here.

"I think I'll just take the book with me," she said with a smile. Another two clicks. Connie headed for the stairs. Wendy nodded with understanding, and looked down at her own jacket. It was, surprisingly, not very bulky despite holding one very thick book. The redhead then followed the teenager, very quickly. It was becoming harder to see, and Connie's black hair and dark clothing didn't make it any better. The brunette ran up the steps. Four clicks this time. She was counting in her head, and her theory was right—they were getting faster.

Wendy also ascended the stairs at a quick gait, beside Connie now. She was sweating a little bit. Connie was sweating too, going higher and higher, now being unable to count the clicks. She could feel the darkness closing in on them, until she finally reached the light, the library above. Wendy also made it through, just in time. The wall fixed itself a few seconds later. She sighed, almost collapsing on the floor, "Man, that was a close one..."

Connie nodded, now staring at where the entrance used to be, "I wonder what that was, though..."

The redhead ran a hand through her hair, squinting a little, "Me too... I also wanna know _who_ created it..."

She had a fleeting thought to tell Connie about the book she found, on Bill Cipher himself. But maybe that was something she should keep to herself. She had no idea what was in this book, and she honestly thought Bill had always been a murderous, psychotic psychopath. She didn't want Connie to get scarred.

Connie nodded. "And why it closed like that..." she looked around and saw the book that Wendy had pushed to make it open was now set back into place, probably by one of the librarians walking around. Wendy didn't notice this, her mind swimming in her thoughts. She kept staring at the fixed wall. Connie then pulled the book out, opening the door up again, and pushed it back, closing it again, "Well, I guess that's not a mystery anymore."

She blinked, and then sighed of relief. She thought something bad was happening. But, of course something bad _would_ happen. If they got stuck down there... would anyone be able to hear them? and what if something was _alive_ down there? it wouldn't be too farfetched. She nodded, "Yeah, and it's a relief, I suppose."

She put a hand on the book in her pocket for a moment, and then turned to Connie, finally. This didn't go unnoticed.

"So, you grabbed a book. What was it?" she asked, intrigued. The girl then held up her book on Gems, with which she was completely enamored.

Wendy started sweating, pursing her lips. She tried to think of a good lie. But how could she lie to Connie? sure, she could _withhold_ or _omit_ information, but _lie_? she frowned a little. She decided she'd take her chances, and then slowly pulled out the thick book and showed it to the girl. It was similar to the Journals in structure, but instead of a six-fingered hand on the cover, it was a certain triangular dream demon, and it had the Cipher Wheel circling him. She breathed out, "This..."

Connie looked upon it with wide-eyed curiosity. "Is that... Bill?" she knew she didn't need to ask, but she wanted to make sure.

She nodded, still holding the book out, "Yeah, it's Bill, alright..."

Wendy seemed a lot stiffer now, and terser too. Connie put her own book away, and took this one. She stared at the cover intensely, before she flipped it over to the back, which had a small blurb that read, "The tale of Bill Cipher, now in book form."

But other than that, nothing. Nothing except intricate designs engraved below the blurb that maybe not even the Gems would know about. Wendy stared at her, gripping and rubbing at her arm, biting her bottom lip. Connie looked up at the redhead, finally, "So... what all is going on between you and Bill? what happened there?"

She stiffened, gulping a little bit. She had to remain strong. She couldn't tell her about Weirdmageddon. So maybe... she soon sighed, sitting down finally, back up against the bookcase, "I can't tell you about that, Connie... but what I _can_ tell you is that... well, he's not a very savory dude... you and Steven should be careful around him..."

There. She said it. She said it. It was vague, but it was what she _could_ tell her without getting into details.

There was some silence. Before... "Did you date him or something? is that what this is about?" Connie asked, frowning, wanting to know what exactly had happened.

Wendy frowned at her disapprovingly, and shook her head slowly. _Hell_ to the _no_.

"Then what is it? what happened?" she continued to press, eyebrows raised.

"I can't tell you... it's grisly..." and then she covered her mouth. Already she thought she said too much.

The brunette barely grimaced, but it was noticeable. "O-okay. But could I take this book, and study it?" she asked, staring at the book, and then looked up at Wendy. "You wouldn't have to tell me then. It'd probably be in here, right?"

Wendy sighed, and shrugged, "Sure... but I'm actually also quite interested in it... perhaps we could read it together?"

She nodded, excited now. "We could have, like, a study session. It'd be lots of fun!" she smiled, even though a nearby librarian shushed her.

The redhead smiled, "Definitely!"

A nearby librarian, the same one actually, also shushed her, and the girl frowned then. She then remembered once again why they went down there, and voiced it quietly, "Did you find anything on Gravity Falls though?"

She frowned. "I think I saw a book down there about it. But going down there..." she scrunched up her face, "it reminded me of something..." and then she suddenly gasped, face relaxing and eyes widening, "Oh."

Wendy raised both her eyebrows, and became a little anxious, "What? what is it?"

"I remember now. I've been in Gravity Falls before, and I saw... a multiheaded bear, in the forest! and then they... someone made me forget...?" she asked, frowning, unsure, staring now at the floor.

"The multibear..." Wendy muttered. And then she nodded vigorously, hopping back up onto her feet, "Yes. They did. The Blind Eye..."

She figured now would be a good time for Connie to finally know the culprits' name. She, after all, remembered everything now. Connie looked up, eyes narrow with confusion, "The Blind Eye? what's that?"

"A secret society. More like a cult. They erased memories of the supernatural, and also of things people would rather forget..." her frown deepened as she explained. As well-intentioned as they were, the town had suffered a lot in the area of competence because of them, and none of them could ever face their mistakes and what they feared. It was just a cycle, repeating over and over again, because they kept forgetting the history. Thank goodness she, Soos, McGucket and the twins discovered it and ended it. She couldn't bear to think what would happen if they were allowed to continue. And yet she found herself thinking about it...

Connie pursed her lips, taking it all in. "So how do you remember them?" she asked, wondering why Wendy knew so much about them if they were known to erase memories.

"Because my friends and I encountered their secret base... we managed to get out unscathed, and we put an end to their operation," she sighed, gripping at her hands. She allowed a small, victorious smile to flit upon her lips, however.

"Wow..." Connie was pretty impressed, having stars in her eyes.

And then that smile grew. Wendy suddenly got an idea, and voiced that too, "Say, you wanna go grab a pizza?"

She figured they were done here. Connie had her memories back. And that was specifically why they had come. But.. _maybe_.. just maybe, they'd figure that secret, underground library out later. The brunette nodded, adjusting her glasses, "Sure thing—and you probably wanna hold onto this," and passed her the book on Bill.

The redhead nodded, and then grabbed the book, slipping it back into her inside pocket. She'd wanted it back for a while now. Connie then smiled and began walking to the entrance of the library. Wendy chuckled and followed her, eventually descending down the steps along with her newfound friend. They didn't see Lion anywhere, so that meant they'd have to walk all the way to Fish Stew Pizza. But that was completely alright with them.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's the close to that cliffhanger. :3 I hope you enjoyed. Again, Ace had Lion and Connie, and she was wonderful at her, and I had Wendy. I hope we stayed true to their characteristics. But then again, this is an AU. But, now you know why and how Wendy is in Beach City. And lots of other things. XD Also, there are a few references in here, one of which is actually pretty blatant and central to this particular chapter. I wonder if you can spot them.

And, going completely off the timeline, but this is what I had said when I posted this chapter elsewhere, on August 14th: "I think this next episode is actually going to be on the library, actually... not the school. But either way, we'll get the name and the structure! and that book mentioned? I'm in the process of writing it. And the blog mentioned, Ace said, belongs to her other OC, Tony Determined. XP"

Said library looks almost nothing like the one we described. But this _is_ an AU, after all, and this chapter was roleplayed long before the episode, Buddy's Book, was even thought about, and this entire story before Summer of Steven. The book I mentioned only has one chapter and a half, after all this time, because I had stopped for various reasons, writer's block and ideas switching up included... but I promised myself that after Ace and I finished this here story, that I'll pick it back up again. So yeah, I hope you enjoyed that fine piece of information behind the scenes! and most importantly, the chapter itself. And with that, I shall see you either Sunday or next Thursday!


	24. The Displaced Anomaly

**A/N:** Just to let you know, I'm getting really, _really_ worried about you guys. There was only one reviewer for the previous chapter, or two, if JoJo didn't mean to put his or her comment on Chapter Nine. Once again, I understand that you all have school and that it's usually pretty heavy this time of year, but wow. In any case, I'd like to thank all of you for reviewing and favoriting and following this story. Ace and I really appreciate it. We have reached one hundred reviews, thirty-nine faves, and forty-two follows! the most I've ever received on a story. Thank you all so so much! with that said, here's Chapter Twenty-Four! :3 Another new perspective! some of you have been asking about this. Well, here ya go! XD

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twenty-Four: The Displaced Anomaly**

In the middle of the ocean and dreary skies, there was a rather small boat with the words "Stan O' War II" engraved upon its starboard bow. Ford was pacing, as he had been every now and then since he received the call from Wendy. He stopped and placed his hands on the edge, looking out into the depths of the horizon with an almost traumatic stare. He couldn't believe his arch-enemy was back...

"Looks like you shouldn't have thrown out that statue after all, huh?" asked Stan, shooting Ford a look.

Ford shot Stan a brief glare, before it softened. He thought for sure throwing the statue overboard would have kept the world safe from ever shaking his hand. He hadn't thought the statue could move, or that the water would be strong enough to move it along. He sighed, "I guess... that was a stupid mistake..." and then slapped his forehead gently.

Stan sighed, "No kidding. We should have just kept it in the Mystery Shack, like I suggested." He looked down into the waters, which were rather calm today.

"Doesn't the Mystery Shack usually have torrents of people visiting it, though?" he brought up that point again, like he had last time his brother suggested such an idea. And they couldn't particular count on any of the customers to resist shaking its hand, even with Soos, Abuelita and Melody running the joint now.

They had shifted gears, and were heading for their new destination, coming back up north. Such a shame that investigating the anomaly in Antarctica had to wait. But this anomaly was much bigger and much worse, especially now that he wasn't contained by the barrier.

"Yeah, but still. Your theory about shaking his hand might have been wrong, you know," and then Stan went silent, watching the waves caused by the boat. He then frowned slightly, "Say, what do you think this 'Beach City' is going to be like when we get there? how much of it do you think Bill has destroyed by now?"

Ford shuddered, "All of it."

And that was assuming Bill reformed fully powered. Or even half-powered. The demon was incredibly strong, and incredibly dangerous. The old man kept beating himself up. Gravity Falls would have been the best place to keep him. But no, he had to bring him along, _outside the barrier_ , and try and "drown" him. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_!

Stan put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Poindexter, I'm sure we'll beat him. We did last time, didn't we?" he smiled, and then took a look at the case labeled "Experiment 618" again, the case that held the quantum destabilizer that would get rid of Bill for good.

Ford looked at his brother's hand, and then glanced at said case as well. He smiled and nodded, "Yeah, we did. Like our great niece and nephew said, they beat him before, and they'll beat him again." That smile grew as he finished, "And so shall we."

This only helped alleviate the insecurities. The quantum destabilizer was only one shot, and Bill had most likely wised up to that move. Also, he wasn't sure if they'd last a second time. Everyone in the Zodiac Ten, except Wendy, and of course they themselves and the younger twins, was back at Gravity Falls. So that plan was a bust. And he was sure the triangle was expecting the memory gun as well, though they couldn't take that with them. It was destroyed, of course. Stanford frowned inwardly.

"Hey, look, land!" Stanley broke through his thoughts, pointing ahead at what, he could see through his telescope, was a beach, connected to a boardwalk. It was completely intact, which he found very odd. "I don't think we're at the right place, though..." he passed said telescope to Ford, hoping he could make some sense from it.

Ford took the telescope and looked through. He frowned slightly, but was relieved that it wasn't destroyed. But, like Stan said, they could have arrived at the wrong place. He hummed, "Hmm... this is strange... I think we are; it fits Wendy's description... but unfortunately places don't have coordinates engraved into them..."

"Don't you have one of those... whatever they're called? 'PGS's'?" he asked, using air quotes to emphasize his ignorance of this topic.

"GPS?" Stanford scrunched his face up at his brother, almost laughing. He'd have let loose if the circumstances weren't so dire.

"Yeah, that. Don't you have one of those lying around here somewhere?" Stan asked, looking around, as if expecting it to fall from the sky.

The old man nodded, handing the telescope back to his brother, "Of course I do..." and slapped his forehead again for having forgotten that he had a GPS in his possession. He pulled it out of his pocket, while his brother pocketed his telescope, and cross-referenced the coordinates Wendy had given with these current coordinates. They were off by a few miles, apparently. He sighed, looking out at the land again, "Well, it's not the right location..."

Stan's stomach rumbled then. "Okay, but while we're here, we should get a bite to eat. I'm starving! plus, uh... we're kinda running out of fuel," he tapped the little meter showing they were almost empty, about a sixteenth of the tank full.

Ford nodded, smiling just a tad, "Alright then."

He was quite hungry too, though his stomach was a little quieter about it. And they really needed gas too. So the man walked up to the wheel and began steering it towards the docks, accelerating a little bit. Stanley stared longingly towards the town here next to the ocean. He saw a nice big sign that said "Ocean Town". Gee, was that literal or what? well, just about as literal as Beach City. An idea then occurred to him. "We should stop and ask for directions as well," he added, a little late.

Ford nodded again, smiling a bit more, "That's part of the game plan, of course."

He soon arrived at the docks, and, once he parked the boat properly, picked up the anchor and tossed it overboard so that the ship wouldn't drift away while they were on break. That would be disastrous if it ever did, as it held their only true defense against Bill, various personal items and money, and was pretty much their temporary home at this point. Stan had a nice safe aboard the ship, carrying their cash and some guns, as well as some of Ford's junk. He opened it, took a pistol, and some of their money, about twenty dollars worth. He looked at Ford, "You want anything in here?"

He nodded, exhaling, "If Bill has moved location, we need every defense we can get."

Even if they were useless against him. That and they didn't quite know what to expect here. They could run into something unsavory. Or perhaps some _one_. He surely hoped not, on all these prospects. Ford walked over and grabbed a small gun, similar to the one with which he had threatened the bus driver when he refused to let Waddles on board. He chuckled a little at the memory, and also grabbed twenty dollars worth of cash. They may need more money, and they had to stock up on food as well.

Stan got off the boat, leaving Ford to lock up the safe. He looked around town with his fancy telescope. Ford indeed locked up the safe, metaphorically throwing away the key. Absolutely no one would be able to get in here. He, too, exited the boat, and smiled a little at Stanley's antics. Unbeknownst to both of them, there was an alien roaming in this particular town, near constant but quiet murmuring filled with anxiety and fear for her life.

Along the boardwalk, Stanley saw various places. The first restaurant he saw, he ran up to. It happened to be a fast food one. Ford trailed behind him, smiling even more, "Ah, we're saved."

But one thing he noted was how the town seemed.. empty. Oddly empty. Almost no one was roaming about. There was no rustle and bustle. At all. He found that strange. And unsettling, considering the circumstances. But none of the buildings were destroyed, just rundown, and that helped alleviate his paranoia. Just a little bit. Stanley knocked on the glass window that served as where the people inside would give food to the people outside. "Anyone in there?" he asked, frowning.

Someone soon stepped up to the window, looking particularly ragged in the face, with a slight frown to complete it. She was dressed in uniform, which accentuated her unnaturally pale skin well enough. Too much. She soon nodded, "Yes. How may I help you?"

Her voice sounded listless, like she lost all hope long ago. Not even new visitors sparked something in her. Ford frowned slightly, highly concerned, but this was the least of their troubles. Perhaps, once they dealt with Bill, they'd come back and try to help. But as for right now, nope. He stayed silent, hanging back, letting Stan take care of this.

"We'd like to see what's on the menu," he asked, the frown deepening slightly.

The young lady nodded, and then grabbed a sheet, the menu, and held it up against the window. She'd taken it literally, it seemed. Ford read through the list. Cheeseburgers. Fries. Milkshakes. The usual. And they were fairly cheap, like one or two dollars despite there being more than one size for each. It was just another sign of how rock bottom this town had become. They didn't even try to raise the prices anymore, since no one toured or visited.

"We'll take a couple cheeseburgers and fries," his frown deepened even more. They really didn't need even twenty dollars for this—ten would have been enough.

She nodded, not even smiling, "Your order will be ready in soon."

And then she walked away from the window, and other voices were heard after she announced the order, just as listless, though one of them seemed a tiny bit excited. She came back so she could ring it up. Ford became increasingly concerned, frowning even more. But this wasn't their problem right now. They had bigger fish. A much bigger fish. They'd come back, he reassured himself. But would it be too late by that point? just how long has Ocean Town suffered?

Stan sighed, "Ah, you don't need me here for this. I'm going to go see who can get us some fuel for the Stan O' War II," and walked off, back to the docks, looking for any other people around, hoping there was _someone_ who could point him in the right direction. Thinking back, he probably should have asked for it at the window of the fast food place.

Ford nodded to no one in particular now, and then pulled out the sufficient cash and handed it to the lady. She expressed her gratitude, and traded the money for the receipt. He smiled in an attempt to get her to smile, but she didn't, just kept staring with those hollow eyes. It creeped him out, honestly, and then he took a step back, now concentrating on waiting for their order. Unbeknownst to him, that alien was very close now, like behind the building close and moving, still muttering to herself...

* * *

 **A/N:** And here we are, and with another cliffhanger! I was Ford here and the clerk as well, and Ace was Stan. :3 And the mysterious figure is also me. I hope we pulled them off well. :3 There are a few references in here, one of which is particularly large and central and that Ace didn't even realize she put in before I told her about it, and now we know who tried to drown Bill. XP I hope you enjoyed it!

P.S.: Also, small note: I had trouble trying to decide whether I should use the current title of the chapter, or "Ocean Town". I decided to stick with this one so it wouldn't be as obvious. But yeah. Please leave a review, detailed if you can. If you don't, I'll see you either Saturday or next Thursday with the next one! X3 toodles!


	25. The Displaced Anomaly II

**A/N:** Okay, guys, I'm really getting worried about you. Did you all die? I hope not. I know for some of you this week is supposed to be your week off from school. But I do thank AppleSpongeCake for keeping up with her reviews. X3  
And for all the faves and followers.

Moving on, here's a close to that cliffhanger! give it up for Chapter Twenty-Five! where a new character will be introduced!

Also, by the way.

 **HAPPY THANKSGIVING!**

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twenty-Five: The Displaced Anomaly II**

There was really no one around. It still struck as strange, even though they'd been here for the past few minutes. The few people who were seemed rundown, like the buildings, and just as ragged in the face as the lady, but they were all youthful, couldn't be any more than in their thirties or less. Stan kept it up, going back and heading a little deeper into town. He kept walking, and then saw something green that stood out against the dreary atmosphere. He thought it looked... humanoid.

"Hey there!" he shouted, ecstatic that he finally found someone.

The humanoid jumped out of her skin, letting out a strangled yelp, and her triangular hair became even more frazzled and her floating fingers started freaking out. She thought she'd been found. Oh, this was it. She was going to get taken back to Homeworld and shattered, and it'd be the end for her.

Stan ran up to her, huffing and puffing. "Hey... do you know where we could buy... some fuel for our ship?" he was still struggling to catch his breath, even though he had run like ten feet to get to her. It really showed how much he aged.

She was still hysterical, but once she got a good look at him, she soon realized her thoughts weren't the case at all. For one, Homeworld _hated_ organic life. For two, she knew no one there who appeared completely male. These two facts, among others, helped her calm down. She raised an eyebrow at the man, now processing what was said, her fingers gradually moving back into place, but her hair was still messed up. She knew the concept of fuel,—it powered her ship after all—but that type of fuel was probably not how things worked here. She pursed her lips, repeating the word, "Fuel...?"

"Yeah, you know, like oil. I'd like to know where some is, if you know," he stared at her, interest piqued. She almost reminded him of the monsters from Weirdmageddon... but she was a little too humanoid.

"Oil..." she pulled up her touchscreen and started searching for anything about it. It was definitely organic, nothing like what Homeworld used. She hummed, and then realized that she'd seen a kind of little shop around here that sold that type of "oil". It was a wonder she ever noted it though, with how incredibly frazzled she was.

"Uh... hey, I have an idea. Follow me," by this point Stan knew she wasn't just some cosplayer. She was something different. She didn't fit here in this town, for certain, and he felt she would only fit in a place like Gravity Falls. But not exactly. "So... my name's Stanf—Stanley Pines. What's yours?"

She blinked, noticing the slip-up as well as the change in conversation topic, but pushed this aside, and replied quite simply, "Peridot."

She had a small urge to list off her type, but pushed this aside as well. One person passed them by, but barely batted an eye. He surely would have if the town wasn't so down in the dumps.

Stanley started walking, "Peridot, huh? that's a nice name." He was stalling. He didn't want her to rush off or anything. He had abandoned the notion of getting oil for the ship. This was more important, he felt. Here was an anomaly where there should not be.

She blinked, and followed him, retracting her touchscreen, "Uh, thanks," and then raised an eyebrow again, "but what about your 'oil'?"

Peridot wasn't about to let that go. She knew how important it was.

"It can wait. I wanna introduce you to someone—my brother."

The unnaturally tall Gem blinked once more, pursing her lips. She asked, "What's a 'brother'?

This wasn't part of the society back on Homeworld. So it wasn't in her database. It was unimportant. But she was stranded here, with no going back to her home. So she thought it would be nice if she got more information on the world upon which she crash-landed and would definitely have to stay for a while.

"Yeah, I think we should talk to him first," he nodded, seeming to ignore her question, picking up the pace, turning the corner and hoping to see Stanford either at the window or on their ship.

"But what is a 'brother'?" she was hopelessly confused, her brow furrowing and her floating fingers levitating away from her hand a little ways. She kept following him nonetheless, also picking up her pace.

Stanford had gotten the food a few minutes ago, and was hanging around the restaurant for a bit. He had thought about asking the clerk if they sold or had any fuel, but she creeped him out too much. That and he trusted his brother. He whistled a little melody, kicking a rock as he clutched at the bag containing their meal.

"I guess you'll only find out if you follow me, pumpkin," he smiled. Hopefully this stranger could help them. He hoped this plan wasn't a bust. When he saw his brother, he waved. "Over there, that's Stanford—and he'll tell you what a brother is."

She frowned slightly, not bothering to ask about the nickname, but nodded. Stanford soon noticed his brother, and smiled, waving back, but his wave was cut short when he noticed the tall alien standing behind him. His mouth was wide, and so were his eyes, and he very nearly dropped the bag of food. He began walking up to them, wishing he had his fourth Journal on hand—he'd left it back on the ship.

Peridot raised an eyebrow as she stepped out from behind Stanley, watching the other old man carefully. She noticed the two looked almost exactly the same. But they weren't Gems at all. She began wondering what this sorcery was, and maybe if the term "brother" had something to do with it.

"Uh, Poindexter... this is Peridot. She's... well, I'm not sure what she is. I ran into her while looking for someone on the streets," he omitted the part about her wanting to know what brothers meant. She could ask Ford herself.

"I see..." he said, finally reaching them. He looked her up and down, and noted the gem on her forehead. The green alien wasn't exactly comfortable with this, for she grumbled a bit, narrowing her eyes. They then asked their questions at the same time, Ford asking what she was and Peridot asking what a "brother" was. Their eyebrows rose as they both realized what they did, and they seemed to mirror each other, leaning backwards with slight surprise.

"You know what? I'll just go get Journal 4," Stan ran over to the boat, glad for the excuse to get away for a bit. He grabbed it, checked on the quantum destabilizer, then ran back to Ford, handing him the book and a pen.

Ford put away the bag of food, gladly took the book and pen, and flipped to an empty page. He began sketching her and writing down notes about her, while Peridot watched, completely and totally lost once again. She blinked and then asked her question again, and Ford began explaining, still writing, "Oh, it's one of those familial terms for someone who's related to you."

It was vague, however, for he was still into this. The Gem deadpanned. She had a sort of clue what "familial" meant, but Homeworld society didn't work like that, so it was unimportant. She knew "related" though, but her counterparts weren't necessarily relatives. And there was more than one term? in short, she had more questions than answers, and grew ever more curious. She figured she'd learn more about it later though.

The old man kept scribbling stuff down, and then he asked _his_ question again, and she sighed, explaining, "I'm a Gem..."

But that was it, and it was just as vague. Ford barely cared how vague it was, writing this down too. It explained the gem embedded on her forehead, certainly.

"You two seem busy," Stan began, "doing whatever you two are doing. I'm going to do what I set off in the first place to do," and he headed back deeper into town to find someone who was just casually walking around, which were very few in number.

Stanford kept metaphorically poking at her, only waving at his brother for a second, and Peridot answered every question he had, although she was getting increasingly annoyed...

One such someone in Stanley's path looked suspiciously similar to a Gravity Falls resident, like Toby Determined, but with one look in the face one could tell he wasn't Toby. But, thankfully, his face wasn't as ragged as the rest of the people in town, but he was slouched over. Of peculiar note was that he had a mayor's tassel pinned on his shirt.

Stan walked over to him. "How's it hanging?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. And then he went on to say, "Say, do you know where I can find some fuel for my boat down by the docks? she's on a sixteenth of a tank."

The mayor sighed, and nodded, tearing up a little bit, "Sure. I can lead you there..."

The very fact he was tearing up answered Stanley's first question. Things were _not_ going so well. And they hadn't for... well, he'd lost count of the years.

He nodded. "Lead the way, then," he smiled a little, trying to lift the poor guy's spirits up. The old man sighed again, barely smiling back, and started walking deeper into town. Stanley kept following, waiting, wondering how Peridot and his brother were getting along. And, for a hint only to the audience, the Gem's eyes were getting narrower as her fuse got shorter; she wanted now to leave. Ford was unaware, but at least he'd stopped asking questions. For now.

Soon, the mayor stopped in front of the same store Peridot had seen. It had seen better days, just like the rest of this town. The sign sticking on its front was somewhat tattered and chipped, and the paint job could have been better. He sighed again, "Here it is."

Stan nodded and entered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome..." the guy stood outside, waiting.

The blond clerk looked up and stared at Stan with dry, hazy blue eyes, bearing a similarly ragged face. He cleared his throat, and asked, but his voice was still hoarse, "How may I help you?"

"I'm looking for some fuel for my boat, down by the docks. We're heading off to Beach City real soon."

"Oh, _that_ place..." he seemed to sigh, as if envious. But he brushed that aside, and soon asked, "What type of fuel?"

"How about you come take a look at her? my brother built the engines, so I think I'd have to ask him, as well," he began to walk out. The man nodded, and got out from behind the counter and followed Stan. The mayor was still waiting outside, swaying just a tad and mumbling to himself.

Stan ignored him now. Ignored all the dying and crumbling things. It didn't seem possible he himself could fix it right now, so why worry about it? they had bigger things to worry about. The mayor and seemingly sole authority figure looked at them both, shrugged, and went on his way. Eventually Stan was back at the docks. The clerk blinked at the ship, barely even noticing Ford and Peridot aboard it, and the former apparently was a little afraid, with the latter looking a little too annoyed but exhausted. Of peculiar note was how the bespectacled old man had ink splattered on his shirt, the cover of the Journal, and some of his face, and he was still holding his unnaturally busted pen and said book.

"Say, Fordsy, what kinda fuel do we need for the ship?" Stan yelled to him.

Ford snapped out of his small fear and looked towards his brother, while Peridot ignored the voice with a slight groan, and answered with his ink-blotted face scrunched up confusedly, "I thought this was _your_ ship, Stanley!"

The clerk simply watched, no emotion in his face whatsoever.

"Yeah, but you're the one who rigged up the engines and the power supply!" Stan argued.

He blinked, and then sighed, rubbing at his head, unknowingly getting ink in his hair, "Oh, well, right. You're going to need residential fuel. It's usually in a red container."

Peridot saw this as a chance to get away for a while, and stepped off the boat, intent on heading for the oil shop. The clerk raised his eyebrow, but that was it. Stan frowned. "So, uh, how is she?" he glanced towards Peridot, who largely ignored him and his semi-identical clone.

"She's, erm... alright," Ford smiled weakly, not even attempting to get the ink off his face and shirt. Though he obviously had attempted to get the ink off his Journal, but there were still obvious stains. Peridot glanced at the clerk, immediately knowing who he was,—she'd peeked in the shop looking for a place to hide, and saw him behind the counter—and took him by the arm and began walking back to the shop. He didn't really bother protesting, and she mumbled something about getting their "oil".

Stan frowned, stepping onto the ship, "So, what is she, exactly?"

"She says she's a Gem," he answered. "It explains the gem on her forehead. They're holograms with mass they project from said gem. And hers is her name..."

Of course, what Peridot had actually said was much more complicated, so Ford had to break it down so other people could easily understand.

He nodded. "Is she coming with us? it'd be nice to have a lady onboard," Stan waggled his eyebrows.

Ford scrunched up his face, but answered, "Yes. I mean, we can't leave anomalies unchecked and unsupervised. She could be secretly hostile."

Her display earlier notwithstanding. He finally set down his book and tossed the ruined pen into a trash bin, and then pulled out and inspected the bag of food, which was, much to his luck and relief, not blotched with ink. He opened it and set it down on a little pedestal. Stan reached in and grabbed a burger and some fries. He sat down and began munching on it, waiting for Peridot to return. Speaking of anomalies... "It doesn't seem like anybody here has seen Bill, does it? and it definitely doesn't look like the world is ending. D'ya think Wendy could have lied? or someone else is keeping him locked up?"

"Wendy isn't particularly one to lie..." Ford frowned a little, wiping his hands on his pants to get rid of the ink before he too reached in to get a burger, sitting down as well and eating it with a couple of fries. He gulped it down before saying, "She sounded _really_ serious over the phone. And that's usually not like her. Also, locking Bill up is a no sell, unless you had the right materials."

And unless he actually reformed powerless. But he didn't say that. Just kept it to himself. It was an assumption, not fact, and they couldn't run off of wild assumptions. Then again... no, Wendy wouldn't lie about this... he looked troubled by the whole prospect. Stan eventually shrugged. He continued eating, but in silence, feeling he had put his two cents into the matter. Ford sighed, and then took another bite of his burger and another couple of fries, frowning softly.

Peridot, in the meanwhile, was now trying to find out what money was, since she needed some to buy this "oil". The clerk was barely helpful, still listless, and it irritated her quite a bit. She remarked, "I honestly don't know what money is. Can't I just take this... 'residential fuel'?" gesturing to the red canister she had in her hand.

His lip quivered and he shook his head, "No, my business is barely staying afloat as it is. I need you to pay for it."

"Then what _else_ can I do?" her fingers were floating almost everywhere, and her lips were almost in a snarl, albeit a confused one, "I don't _know_ what money is!"

The clerk stared blankly at her, and then shrugged, and this was apparently the last straw for Peridot once more. No one seemed to want to explain. And then all the objects in this shoppe that were made of metal or even contained a little bit of metal started floating dangerously as her eyes glowed with a tinge of blue. She was apparently unaware of this happening, even as the clerk began cowering, honestly his first real show of emotion for the longest time. Shame it had to be fear.

Stan kept eating with the vague and ever-persistent feeling that something was wrong—the same feeling he had ever since Wendy's call. He largely ignored it. Ford felt this feeling as well, looking back over at the town every once and a while, still eating. But it was ignored; he _was_ hungry after all.

"Okay, okay! take it! just don't hurt me!" the clerk stammered a bit, his tone actually emotional.

Peridot seemed confused now, and the blue glow to her eyes vanished, the metallic objects settling back into place. She felt a little exhausted, groaning a bit, but ignored it for now, deciding to ask with a raised eyebrow, "Why would I hurt you?"

Fear didn't allow him to answer. The tall Gem gazed at him for a bit with confusion, then shrugged and began exiting the store, canister still in hand. She stared at it for a while, scanning it so she'd remember, and then proceeded to stalk back to the ship, rubbing at her head for a while.

The former conman kept sitting there, eating, enjoying these gentle times the most he could. He then asked, "So, uh, how much money did you give her, for the fuel?"

The former scientist suddenly realized he didn't give her anything, and he slowly looked up and then stared off into space a little horrified, still holding his burger. Stan pursed his lips, but said nothing, thinking that Ford was thinking about the answer. He looked out at the town, and could see the green Gem in the distance, lugging back the red canister. The journalist grimaced, and soon saw her too, having come out of his trance. He was horrified for a moment. But, much to his relief, he saw no crimson marking any part of her body. Peridot had recovered from her exhaustion, and was now walking at a fairly brisk pace towards their ship.

Stan frowned, tilting his head, "What's bugging you?" he had been studying Ford as Peri approached. He balled up all his trash and tossed it into the bag it came from.

"..I didn't give her the money..." he finally admitted, almost flustered—his brother, other than raised eyebrows, didn't really care. Ford lost his appetite a little bit, but didn't want the burger and fries to go to waste, so he kept eating. Perhaps now they wouldn't _have_ to stock up on food. Beach City _was_ , after all, a few miles away from here. Farther north, specifically. And, with these engines, they'd get there in a few hours, at least. Maybe. He kept thinking on this, relieved that he was getting his mind off the Gem. Peridot was a few inches from the ship at this point, and she announced, setting the canister down into the boat, "I have obtained the 'residential fuel'!"

Stan nodded at her, and, after a while of silence, elbowed Ford, wanting him to be the one to ask Peridot aboard. Ford, jolted out of his thoughts, frowned at Stan, but sighed, looking at Peridot now, "You can come on aboard."

The tall Gem nodded and climbed aboard, causing the boat to quiver slightly. He sweatdropped, just as he had the first time. Stan had taken to looking in the direction they were headed, searching for any faint inkling of the town. It was impossible to see even an inkling of Beach City at this point. They were still a bit too far away. Stan then decided to get behind the wheel. "So... that way, right?" he pointed off in the distance, towards the shore. He checked a compass that was connected to the boat, making sure that direction was still north.

"Yes," was Ford's simple reply, finishing up his meal and tossing the wrapper into the bag. He got up and began pulling up the anchor. Peridot was examining the boat, not having had a chance to examine it the first time, noting how fascinating yet primitive it looked. These two humans kept interchanging its name using the words "boat" and "ship". She wondered which one it truly was, because her ship didn't look like this at all.

Noticing Peridot admiring the boat, Stan asked, "She sure is beautiful, isn't she?"

She nodded, also noting how gender was inexplicably assigned to a mere object, but offhandedly stated, "It could be better."

Ford set the anchor where it used to be, a little exhausted from lifting it. It was certainly a lot harder than throwing it into the water. He glanced over at Peridot, but didn't get offended. He knew she was from a highly-advanced planet. He only hoped his brother wouldn't. And thankfully...

"Sixer, we ready to set sail yet?" he asked, smiling, ready to show this boat off to Peridot. He didn't take any offense.

"We're gonna need to refuel it first, don't we?" he asked, a little relieved. "Or do you think we have enough for the trip?"

Peridot tilted her head a little, and then gazed out into the ocean, examining it as well. She'd never seen this back on Homeworld. And it looked... pretty.

"Well, we could refuel while we're going, right?" he asked, frowning.

Ford nodded, sitting down, "Yep."

Peridot seemed to mimic him, sitting down as well. She pulled her legs up to her chest, and hugged them. She was still a little anxious that Homeworld would come for her gem and shatter it. She was sure of it. And now she'd put these two in danger...

"Then we're off," Stan grinned and started up the engine. It revved dangerously, and then the boat began to shoot through the water, wind blowing in their faces.

Peridot was really surprised that it could go this fast, letting out a yelp. But other than that, she didn't budge. Ford, too, was barely affected, other than his hair whipping around, but he frowned a bit, simply saying, "Going this fast will drain our fuel faster..."

The tall green Gem stared at him now, wondering how he could be so nonchalant about it. Had he faced this before? Stan sighed and let the ship slow down, "Alright then, Poindexter. You might as well refuel it now, as we're on our way. Next stop—Beach City!"

Ford nodded, smiling a bit anxiously, and got up, heading for the canister. Peridot observed this. Things worked so much differently here... _looked_ so much different here. And she wanted to understand it. She wondered if she'd get to experience it all before they came for her...

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's it! next one will come hopefully next Thursday or Saturday! or this Saturday, right? hehe, well, either way, it gets to be read. I played Ford and Peridot, the newcomer, as well as the mayor and oil clerk, and Ace had Stan. XD And the references continue! you'll get cookies if you find them.

Heh, continuing on, I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I certainly have and will be. X3 WE STILL HAVE LEFTOVERS! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! **keeps screaming even as I walk out the door.** CYA!


	26. Planning

**A/N:** I... I'm actually kinda scared for you guys right now... but I understand. You're busy. And that's absolutely okay. So, a guest had reviewed the previous chapter. I'll take that. So...

/Guest: Haha, your brain couldn't handle that, eh? well, prepare yourself for more like that. Glad you implied you enjoyed the scene. X3

And now that that's done, Chapter Twenty-Six, come on out here! I hope you guys enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twenty-Six: Planning**

Teleportation was oddly like the Warp Pad. If Steven was there, he would have said so. But, in mostly silence, other than Keyhole's terrified squeaking, they arrived little less than a mile away from their destination. Huge and looming, they could see it, in the not so distant distance.

"Alright, guys, do we have a plan? or are we just gonna rush in there, beat them up, and rush back out?" asked Pyronica, hoping the answer was not yes.

And her hope came true. Bill shook himself, "No. We need to be careful. In the case that Steven could be simply held hostage instead, we don't want to do anything that could compromise his safety..."

8-Ball mumbled to himself, staring at the distant building. It looked worse, yet somehow better, than Bill's projection. Teeth clattered a tiny bit; it looked _really_ creepy. Kryptos just hummed with thought, and Xanthar scratched at his head. Hectorgon said nothing, staring at the building with no eyes whatsoever. He hummed with thought as well. Pyronica was also thinking, but not that hard. She was sure Bill would come up with something. Keyhole, meanwhile, revisited that idea of his in his mind. Killing Bill—could he really bring himself to do it? he shivered, thinking it over, again and again. He feared he wasn't powerful enough. So, he decided, if there was a good opportunity...

Bill Cipher would be no more.

The golden triangle was too focused on trying to think of a good plan to notice Keyhole's errant thoughts. He mumbled a little, fiddling with his bowtie, "He may already be expecting us and have a horde of Cluster Demons surrounding the perimeter..."

"Well, that ain't good," 8-Ball frowned. Teeth agreed with a few anxious nods. Xanthar could barely think of anything, but that didn't mean he'd give up. The rhombic demon looked around, trying to see if they could use this environment to their advantage, perhaps. Said environment was actually quite luscious, if a bit bare and withered as well. It seemed that it wasn't just the Temple that suffered all these years.

"What if we turned ourselves in and beat him from the inside?" Pyronica suggested suddenly, the thought having come to her from seemingly nowhere. Keyhole looked at her like she was insane, and Hectorgon ignored her, but tilted himself.

Bill blinked at her, eye wide, "Mmm... maybe..."

8-Ball smiled a little. Finally, some action. Hopefully. Xanthar rumbled a little bit, seemingly incoherently, apparently thinking the same way. Kryptos and Teeth, however, also had Keyhole's look, and it only got worse when their leader was thinking about it. Teeth voiced this, "Umm, boss, I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Do we have a better idea?" the demon asked matter-of-factly, eyebrow raised. Teeth and Kryptos didn't say a thing to this, thinking over it.

"Likely he'll let us into the Temple, and then we can try talking to him. If that doesn't work... well, we take evasive action," Pyronica proposed.

Keyhole realized what this meant for his plan. It meant it might actually be plausible. "Since I'm the smallest one here, I'll be the scout!" he exclaimed, and ran up ahead behind a rock.

"Alright then," Bill sighed, hoping just talking would actually work. He thought of Steven just then, knowing the boy would always try and talk his way out of violent situations. He'd experienced it too, having been on the receiving end after Sadie had taken his hat. He shuddered. The nerve of her... but he digressed. Hopefully this method would work.

Xanthar grunted a bit, wondering what _he_ could do, and Kryptos frowned a little, "Since you're the largest, I think you'd best be in the back."

The loaf-like creature didn't complain, and thus moved to the back. The shape demons then stopped floating, standing on the broken path now, so they wouldn't get spotted by any aerial forces, and glanced over at Hectorgon so he'd get the hint to do the same, just a little, and he did, so now he was hovering much more closely to the ground. 8-Ball went to the back as well, beside Xanthar, since he was a little big. Well, more "tall" than "big". Teeth stayed where he was, clattering a little. He had reservations about this, but didn't protest.

There was then a flit of a psychic message, somewhere in the group, fast towards where they were headed. The person who sent it was anonymous, but was in this group of demons, for sure. None of them except the person who sent the message was aware of it, and Kryptos frowned a little at Xanthar being a little too large. They'd still get spotted even with him in the back, so the rhombic demon snapped his fingers and the large purple creature was coated in camouflage. Said creature rumbled, intrigued by this, and Kryptos smiled. There.

"Okay, guys, are we ready?" Bill looked at each and every one of them, a little tense. 8-Ball and Teeth nodded, the former grinning a toothy smile and cracking his knuckles. Xanthar grunted with affirmation, and Kryptos saluted, "Yes, sir!"

"Of course we are. We have to be," Pyronica rammed her fist into her hand. "Let's get this thing over with already!"

Bill nodded, "Alright then, let's get to it."

And then they began moving towards the building cautiously, Kryptos and 8-Ball paying close attention to the environment while Teeth, Bill and Xanthar kept their eyes forward, glancing about every now and then. Even if they had a scout, more eyes was better than two. Pyronica marched forward, along with Hectorgon, who had camouflaged himself as well. They passed the rock Keyhole had hidden by...

But he was gone.

Bill looked over at said rock, and his eye widened. What could have happened? he kept going, however. They had to save Steven. As fast as possible, so they all could go home and hopefully forget this ever happened. And hopefully he'd stop feeling this way after all this. The rest kept scanning, kept marching along the path; the looming building didn't seem to get any closer, though. It was a bit strange. Pyronica frowned.

"Uh, Bill?" she began, glancing at him.

Bill glanced over at Pyronica, eyebrow raised, "Yes?"

"I think we should pick up the pace a little bit. Steven might be dead by now."

This wasn't a thing he wanted to hear. He indeed picked up his pace, and the others followed suit, still scanning. He messed with his bowtie, becoming a little frazzled again, bags of anxiety and fright appearing under his eye, and yet he was also just so... _conflicted_...

* * *

 **A/N:** And here we go! Ace had Pyronica, Hectorgon and Keyhole. I had the rest of them, especially Bill. I really hope you enjoyed it! next chapter will arrive next Thursday or tomorrow. Or next Saturday. Whenever. XD  
See ya then, if you don't have any reviews to leave me or if you reviewed anonymously.


	27. Beware of Falling Boulders

**A/N:** Still no reviews... bleh. I'll stop commenting on it. You guys will review when you can. Anyway, here's Chapter Twenty-Seven, a relatively shorter chapter than the one before it! I hope you still enjoy it!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Beware of Falling Boulders**

The Henchmaniacs and their triangular leader kept marching at a fast pace along the path to the looming Zodiac Temple in the distance. There came a point, of course, where a rock stood precariously close to an edge above them all. It began to fall just a few seconds before Bill passed under it, so it would fall directly on top of the triangle. One of the demons, Kryptos, saw this, and grabbed Bill before it was too late, much to the triangle's displeasure before he saw the rock fall right where he was about to step. He gasped, while the others started murmuring amongst themselves, a bit frightened and confused.

"Okay, what was that?" Bill asked after the shock was over. He knew exactly what it was literally. But the area wasn't falling apart _that_ badly, was it?

A certain demon stood up there, panting, terrified. He had heard Bill's voice ring out and grew even more terrified. His plan... had failed. He had to think of something better...

Hectorgon shrugged, but he was a little worried, if the frown in his mustache was any indication. Pyronica hopped up onto the rock and looked around, "I don't know... I think perhaps they already know we're here. Perhaps we should fan out."

"Strength in numbers, Pyronica..." the triangle sighed. "Remember what happened last time we split up?"

Though they didn't have a choice then. Still, it resulted in Steven getting poofed and captured. This time, it may result in more gruesome, permanent fates for his friends. The camouflaged demons exchanged glances, wondering if they _should_ split up, and wondering what Bill was talking about. They weren't there like Pyronica was.

"Perhaps it will be different this time," she stared at the structure in the distance, and could see eyebats flying around it protectively. This was going to be harder than they thought.

"Eh..." Bill frowned a bit.

Kryptos sighed, and decided to do it like this, climbing atop the rock as well so he could properly look at all of them, "Alright, all who are in favor of splitting up, raise your hands."

8-Ball raised his hand, and so did Xanthar, with a bit of difficulty, so the former had to help. Teeth looked rather nervous. Bill simply crossed his arms, narrowing his eye. Pyronica frowned and raised her hand, before she thought better of it and decided to lower it. Hectorgon didn't raise his hand at all, humming slightly. Kryptos counted, not bothering to do the opposite case. He figured all the people who didn't raise their hands were against this given option. So it was two against six. He voiced this, "Welp, guess we're not splitting up after all," climbing down from the rock.

Bill smirked a little; Teeth sighed of relief. 8-Ball groaned a little, "That was kinda unfair. Pyronica raised her hand! that should've still counted. It should be a tie!"

The rhombic demon shrugged, which somewhat exasperated the green, ape-like creature. Xanthar grunted, not really caring how things went, even if things didn't go in his favor. Pyronica shook her head, "It's a bad idea."

"A very bad one," Bill supplemented. 8-Ball was about to argue, but the triangle interrupted, "Let's get a move on, guys. We've wasted enough time as it is!" and hopped over the rock, continuing along the path to the Temple. Pyronica jumped off the rock and followed. Kryptos did the same, and Teeth as well after comforting 8-Ball, who sighed, and, along with Xanthar, just plowed right through the boulder.

They all then continued their merry way until a bigger, scarier-looking boulder began to fall. This was Keyhole's plan—and he was afraid he'd be caught. And this time Hectorgon caught Bill, and the boulder smashed into the ground in front of them all. Said demon was starting to get exasperated, brow furrowing, because this was cutting into whatever time they had. He growled out, "What is with these godforsaken boulders?!" really wanting to curse hardcore.

Kryptos looked up to where the boulder had come from, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. Xanthar scratched at his head, and 8-Ball frowned. Teeth wanted to go back home, but didn't express it. Home was a mess anyway. More like wanted to go back to the school. But none of them could turn back now. Keyhole stared down at them, for just a few moments, realizing this plan was a bust. He'd have to think of something better.

Pyronica caught a glimpse of the blue demon, and pursed her lips, realizing what he was trying to do. Kryptos also caught a glimpse. He frowned. This must have been him trying to assassinate Bill. He didn't say anything though. They had bigger problems, and Bill wouldn't want anything to sidetrack them. Said triangle demon grunted, and climbed this boulder too, mumbling and cursing under his breath. Hectorgon and Kryptos followed, Teeth too, and 8-Ball jumped over it this time, while Xanthar just bulldozed it, crushing it.

Nothing could have prepared them for what happened next—another rock fell. This one being a mere pebble. Everyone blinked, and then frowned, the pebble plunking rather lightly onto and then off the top of the triangle demon's hat. Bill would have laughed at this, but he was far too busy seething, and it even added onto his anger a little bit, for he grumbled even more. They kept going. This one was a complete accident, however. Pyronica picked the pebble up and threw it back where it came from, with a psychic message— _Would you please cut that out?_

But there wasn't really an answer...

* * *

 **A/N:** And there's another cliffhanger. Hehe. So you're gonna have to wait till next Thursday for the two-part "conclusion". Ace had Pyronica, Keyhole, and Hectorgon. I had the rest of them. I hope you enjoyed this.

What Could Have Been: the title was going to be a Wizard of Oz reference - "Pebbles and Rocks and Boulders, Oh My" - but I decided it was too long. And it would have clued in to the fact that a pebble was going to be one of the objects that fell. So you have "Beware of Falling Boulders" instead. XP

With that said, please leave a review. I'm kinda starving for them and a discussion. And I really am missing you guys and hoping that you're okay and handling yourselves well. So, without further ado, if you have no reviews to place, and if your reviews are anonymous, I'll see you next Thursday!


	28. Dealing with a Traitor

**A/N:** Well, hello there, my peeps. Not much to say since I'm getting so few reviews now. But I want to thank AppleSpongeCake again for keeping up the reviews. Though they're not as substantial as I'd like, I do appreciate them. I also appreciate the favorites and follows I'd been receiving, but, like I said, nothing here fuels me more than actually seeing words that you enjoy it and discussions and stuff. But yeah. Still worried about everyone, but break is drawing near for most of you, so, maybe the dearth in the reviews will reverse itself. Aaaand, as it turns out, I _did_ have a lot to say. Heh.  
But, without further ado, here's Chapter Twenty-Eight. I hope you enjoy it, and I especially hope you enjoy that I released it, like, one in the morning. XD

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Dealing with a Traitor**

The Henchmaniacs and Bill kept marching along the path, scanning the path, the cliffs above them, and the building in front of them a few yards away. But they didn't seem to be getting any closer to the Zodiac Temple. If anything, it seemed to be getting farther. It was strange. They could still see it looming in the distance, but it seemed to be taunting them. There was something about the Temple, anyway. It seemed sentient, even as it was breaking apart piece by piece, year by year.

Bill grew increasingly exasperated at this, but kept going along with the rest of them. They had to get in there and save Steven. They _had_ to. The boy... he realized what he was about to think and his eye widened, cutting it off immediately. Apparently, he was still conflicted.

Pyronica started running. "Come on, guys, faster!" before that, though, there was a psychic message sent back.

They all nodded, ignoring the feel of the message, and started running as well. The Temple didn't seem to get any closer still. Bill was wondering why that was. Could it be that there was a traitor in their midst? was that why it wasn't letting them pass? he stopped all of a sudden, frowning. Kryptos, Hectorgon and Teeth stopped as well, eyebrow raised, and Xanthar and 8-Ball almost ran smack into them. It would have created a nasty domino effect. Pyronica stopped too to look back at them, "This isn't working. I think there's some kind of curse on the Temple, perhaps. We need to get in there some other way."

"Like maybe another teleportation?" Kryptos suggested, lips pursed.

Hectorgon finally spoke, in a slightly thick French accent, "Ah, yes. That seems like a good idea..."

Nobody seemed surprised. He wasn't that much of a talker anyway. Bill nodded, "Okay, let's try and do that!"

Pyronica chuckled. This was perfect. That pesky Keyhole would stop interfering with her plans... after he was left behind! and, also, if everyone forgot about him, which was likely—out of sight, out of mind. Bill glanced at her, but paid it no mind ultimately, and hooked arms with Teeth as well as Hectorgon. The red hexagon prepared the spell this time, as everyone else linked together. Pyronica was linked in as well. She waited impatiently, tapping her foot. And suddenly...

"Wait for me!" yelled a squeaky, familiar voice—the last thing that she wanted to hear right now. Keyhole soon appeared into view, bounding down the way they came towards them, panting. She mentally cursed.

And they indeed waited for him. Bill frowned, looking his way, "Where _were_ you?"

Kryptos knew, frowning softly, but still kept a zipped lip.

Keyhole panted, "I got lost, I'm sorry—"

"No, you're not," Pyronica glared at him, causing him to fall silent.

The demon's eye narrowed. He growled a little, "Okay, what's going on here? explain quickly."

His tone was threatening. It held an implicit "or else". The first "or else" was obvious, what with Steven being held hostage by his adopted brother and the fact they were running out of time. The second one... well, _he'd_ be the one to certainly deliver.

Kryptos's gaze alternated between the flame demon and the blue demon. He too wanted answers now. Hectorgon, morphing a free hand into existence, scratched at his mustache. Xanthar and 8-Ball and Teeth merely watched, rather nervous.

"He was the one who kept dropping rocks on us!" Pyronica said, unlinking from everyone and pointing at him.

"I-I..." he didn't agree or disagree, shaking too much to answer.

"Why...?" that tone grew even more deadly, as he glared at Keyhole. The rest who were unaware gasped,—Xanthar grumbled—not having expected this. Kryptos frowned, shaking himself with disapproval.

Keyhole began, "W-well it was an acci—"

"LIAR! you were trying to kill us!" Pyronica stomped her foot, rumbling the entire place. The Temple crumbled further, and this may have sped up the process by a year or two. Other than that, nothing happened. The Cluster Demons near the Temple jumped a bit, and looked around, twisted eyebrows raised. Pacifier felt this too, and frowned. She knew what it was. Bill and his friends. But she didn't follow her order. She simply pretended it was seismic activity and nothing more.

Bill's eye flashed a deep crimson. He unlinked from Hectorgon and Teeth, getting up in Keyhole's face practically, "H..how dare you? you... I trusted you! and you've made us lose so much time!"

The pure demons who were Bill's friends watched, far too terrified to intervene. They knew his wrath well. Keyhole shuddered, staring at Bill with terrified eyes, "I... I..."

There went his plans. Gone, just like that. He berated himself. How could he honestly have thought that he would kill Bill like this? he, a far weaker demon, end the life of the all-seeing eye of mischief? it was unthinkable.

"He needs to be punished for his actions!" Pyronica yelled, pointing at him, furious.

"You're right! Steven could be dead right now!" he shouted. Even now almost all his actions were driven by Steven. Steven, Steven, Steven. The little half-human. He scoffed at this, growling, and red flames enveloped his hands as he continued ferociously glaring at Keyhole, "How would you like to meet the same fate, _**TRAITOR**_?!"

Wide eyes were pretty much everyone's expression, except of course for the ones who had no eyes. Keyhole started running away from them. Pyronica immediately broke out into a run after him, catching up to him in seconds and grabbing him, holding up by his head. She brought him back triumphantly. "I must ask—why did you try to crush us? for yourself, or for Gabriel?" she glared at the squirming blue demon who was too utterly terrified to speak.

"It doesn't matter... you'll die either way..." Bill lowly, darkly stated, those flames getting higher and hotter each second as he prepared to unleash them. He fully intended to burn and shatter Keyhole, just like Steven's possible, supposed fate. But then something made him falter in his resolve. Would Steven want this?

It zinged across his mind suddenly, and his eye widened slowly. The answer would obviously be a no, considering the kid's track record.

But... why?

No puppet strings ever held him down. Why now?

He growled, furrowing his brow and holding up his hands now, the fire turning into an inferno. The monsters and demons behind him gasped, and Teeth did his best to turn away even though he was linked. He didn't want to watch. Kryptos, as well, for he closed his eye, and grew an arm and covered Xanthar's face at the large monster's rumbling request. The rest, however, kept staring, silent and wide-eyed.

Keyhole closed his eyes, trying not to cry. "I-I'll make up for it! I'll d-do whatever y-you want, p-please!" Keyhole pleaded, finally, really not wanting to die.

"It's too late for you, Keyhole. You should have thought about that before you tried to kill us," Pyronica hissed in his ear, glaring at him intensely, holding him up and away from her like a target for Bill to fire at.

Bill narrowed his eye, and then wordlessly threw the inferno at Keyhole. But... it missed with a swerve, hitting something else, which then overheated and imploded into several pieces, behind Pyronica and the blue monster. This wasn't something any of them expected, for they all broke out into surprised murmurs. Keyhole, especially. His mouth was wide open. The demon, ultimately, couldn't bring himself to do it, but his expression was still deadly and dark.

Pyronica frowned. "Hey, uh, Bill? you missed," she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I know..!" he almost yelled at her. He once again hated these feelings, whatever they were, and felt himself getting even angrier. Luckily for Keyhole, Bill was acting on his second thoughts, driven by Steven's influence. But he still hated it. And he'd never tell them that, so he just continued with, "He's not worth the trouble. We're wasting _more_ time with this anyway. Let's get a move on."

He didn't even wait for her reply, hooking back up with Teeth and Hectorgon, still wearing that dangerous expression. The other monsters stopped murmuring, and Hectorgon once again prepared the spell. He'd lost it due to the shock. Keyhole was still utterly surprised, unable to utter a single word. Pyronica glared at him and spun around, then threw him as far as she could, him yelling all the way. Then she ran up after them. The one demon, 8-Ball, with a hand free grabbed her arm. The red hexagon clicked his tongue and they all started glowing. Bill was really hoping this worked. Maybe now that the traitor was gone, they probably wouldn't need to do this. But this would be much faster, and they'd already wasted so much time. Pyronica, bracing for this, closed her eye. And they all disappeared once more, and the teleportation took a little effort, but eventually, they made it, onto the roof of the Zodiac Temple. Bill let go and looked around, and then stared at the floor of said roof. It looked not much better than the building itself. But surprisingly it held their weight. He had to remember that the Gems built this place, so of course it'd be stronger than the average building, even when falling apart. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, and Hectorgon and Kryptos did the same thing, relieved that it worked.

Pacifier was making her way up to the roof, thinking it'd be a better place to keep an eye on things. She heard noises up there soon enough, and this made her rush up the stairs...

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 **A/N:** And here's Chapter Twenty-Eight. Took a surprising turn, didn't it? Ace had Pyronica and Keyhole. I'm the rest of them, including Hectorgon this time. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave lengthy reviews. They'd make my day. Truly. Next chapter, the conclusion to this arc, will come next week or this coming Saturday. Be prepared~  
Also, there's a reference or two in this chapter. I wonder if you can spot them. If you do, you get a cookie. Or two. So, yeah. I'll hopefully see ya then if you're not leaving any reviews, which I highly recommend. X3


	29. The Final Confrontation

**A/N:** And now, for the conclusion of the arc. I bring to you, Chapter Twenty-Nine! you can consider this a Wham Chapter if you want. I'm not certain. First, I want to thank JuniorVB for his or her short but satisfying reviews that seem to work like summaries and for the favorite, as well as GreenDragon03 for yet another favorite!~

You have no idea how much I wanted reviews! and I thank you~

But enough of that, go on and read!

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 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Final Confrontation**

8-Ball let go of Pyronica, who stepped away and looked over the edge of the roof and suddenly froze when she saw the Cluster Demons surrounding the Temple. She slowly pulled her head back. "They're everywhere around this place..." she muttered.

"Well, that's just terrific," Bill grumbled. This was a time when the demon actually hated being right. He was lucky he hadn't had another meltdown, but he still lost a good bit of his energy with that inferno attack. He couldn't take them all out in one go anyway. He was still too weak either way. The triangle sighed.

Everyone else unlinked too then, being sure to keep in the middle so they wouldn't be seen so quickly, Xanthar in particular. It was hardly any trouble for the smaller demons, and the eyebats weren't smart enough to turn around, keeping their sights ahead and around the Temple. 8-Ball saw an entrance to a stairwell appear in the corner as he did, and raised an eyebrow, whispering, "Guys, look over there."

Only a few, like the shape demons, heard him, and thus looked. Bill allowed a small smile to arch his eye. A way in. Nice. Finally, they were on one of the last few steps here. All they had to do now was make it down there, save Steven, and actually survive. Teeth soon noticed, and made a quiet gulping sound, highly nervous. Hectorgon patted the denture demon on his approximation of a back, trying to comfort him. This was appreciated, but it hardly helped.

Pacifier was still making her way up the same flight of stairs, but was barely running out of breath. The structure wasn't even budging either, for any and all of them. Pyronica shrunk herself down so she could fit, and began down the stairs. Xanthar and 8-Ball did the same, but stayed at the back as the smaller demons filed in after her. Of course, Bill was the first to follow, frowning gently. Teeth tried his best not to clatter, and Kryptos stopped any sign of it before it started. Hectorgon looked around. The stairwell itself was rather narrow, like it wasn't built for a group. Or, rather, for them. Of course. But it didn't change the fact that it was crumbling as well.

Pacifier heard footsteps coming down these same stairs, and she slowed her pace. At this rate, they'd meet up right at the middle. She didn't know what exactly would happen if they met up, but she had an idea that it would be bad. She knew Bill's rage just as well, and like this they could easily swarm her. Little did she know that there was a soon-to-be known traitor in their midst. Just like her.. but different.

Pyronica kept going. She glanced behind her once, very glad indeed with this situation. If a little annoyed. The demons and monsters kept going down too, of course, and it didn't seem to stop. They started hearing footsteps as well, and Teeth became more anxious and terrified. 8-Ball silently cracked his knuckles, wanting some action. Bill narrowed his eye. Something wasn't quite right here... but he couldn't really pick it up. However, saving Steven was top priority. Everything else came second.

Pyronica sped up a little bit. "Alright, guys," she whispered, "we run in, grab Steven, and run back out!" she glanced back again. She knew this plan wouldn't work quite the way everyone thought it would...

Bill frowned, nodding, "Mmhm... that's the plan. But I'm hearing footsteps.."

Everyone else nodded, with 8-Ball and Xanthar being a bit more eager. They soon saw red eyes in the slight darkness—not even the torchlights worked anymore—and found they looked familiar. Some widened their eyes, and the two most eager ones lost their resolve fairly quickly.

The large black creature saw them long before this. She had kept going, a plan in mind. She'd only subdue them, or force them to surrender. She wouldn't, _couldn't_ , bring herself to kill her friends. Even if they might see her as a target now. Even if it went against her new orders. Pacifier sighed quietly. No. She'd let the Cluster Demons do that. Mindless machines. They used to be so much more...

Pyronica stared at the dark form with fear—this wasn't what she was expecting. She stammered a bit, "P...Pacifier? is this where you've been?"

The demon nodded, frowning softly, "Yes," and then mumbled, "unfortunately."

Bill's frown deepened. He'd be raging, but he didn't see loyalty in her eyes. He only growled at her, thoughts about her betrayal zinging through his mind that he'd never say right now, while the rest stared with surprise and fear. Most of his anger, in fact, came from how they were wasting time _again_ , and that was exactly _why_ he wasn't saying anything. Pacifier felt these thoughts, and cringed. But this was good. She was expecting something worse, honestly, but was glad for this. It'd make her plan go a whole lot smoother. She released a breath she didn't know she was holding, and cut to the chase, "Come quietly. And no one gets hurt."

Not that she wanted this.

"No problem. Right, guys? Bill?" Pyronica flickered her hesitant gaze to the triangular demon.

"Fine.. if it'll take us to Steven faster," Bill frowned. The others didn't hesitate either. They didn't want to fight their friend, even if she was on the other side. Unwillingly, they all noted.

Pacifier sighed of relief, and began back down the stairs, without question, with an implicit instruction for them to follow, wondering if she should contact Gabriel about this. Or if she should surprise him. Either way, she was conflicted. And follow they did, some of them scratching their heads and others still frowning. A message soared past them again—back to Gabriel. And they all continued their way down the spiraling, cracking staircase.

Until it fell beneath them.

Nobody was prepared for this. The ones who could float were lucky, but the rest, even Pacifier, were sent tumbling down, screaming and shouting, or, in Xanthar's case, loudly grumbling, all the way. Bill's eye widened. This wasn't supposed to happen. And then it narrowed.

Gabriel.

He was _definitely_ behind this, since the building kept up their weight long before this. But how? he wasn't supposed to know they were taking the stairs. Or that they were on top of the building in the first place.

Kryptos looked down below, worried expression on his face. Hectorgon rubbed at his mustache, anxious. Pyronica stared down. She winced and floated down there.

"You guys alright?" she asked, looking at all of them with concern.

Most of them had somehow managed to get tangled up within each other, but they shot them a thumbs up as they groaned, with the large purple creature rumbling. Teeth in particular mumbled, "We're... fine..."

8-Ball grunted, getting himself from underneath Xanthar, "How did that happen...? it's a Gem Temple, isn't it, boss?"

Bill frowned, floating down there as well with his fellow shapes, "Yeah... _someone_ did this, and I know exactly who."

Kryptos sighed and Hectorgon continued stroking his mustache. They knew full well who he was talking about. The rhombic demon looked around this area, trying to see where they were. But Kryptos hardly had a chance, for, speak of the devil, _he_ appeared before them just then, floating in the air above them, with Steven's gem still attached to him.

"Well then. You're finally here. I was starting to think that Steven really meant nothing to you..." Gabriel grinned at the group in the air, using his newfound powers to trap those who fell in a big pink bubble, and then stretching out the bubble to ensnare Kryptos and Hectorgon, who shouted at this predicament, as well, leaving Bill and Pyronica. The felled group had managed to get themselves untangled, and a few were trying to pop the bubble, to no avail, much to their surprise and horror. Pacifier merely stared at the pink star, feeling a little betrayed for some reason, even if she didn't like being on his side.

Bill growled at him, "Gabriel..." and then eyed the gem embedded into him. His eye widened, and then he frowned. He knew Steven's powers were his other weakness, and much to his displeasure he found Gabriel knew that all too well also. This was a whole new low. As much as he was relieved that Steven was okay, he was also angry that he was being used as a puppet of sorts, ironically enough. Or, more accurately, a power booster. In fact, it made him forsake the method of reasoning with Gabriel, even though the boy would have wanted it that way.

Gabriel glared at Bill. "You know how long I've waited for this? ever since you..." he seemed at a loss of words for just a moment before he continued, changing the subject, "so, how is this gonna go?" clenching and unclenching his fists.

Bill growled. That feeling came up again, almost begging him to try and make his adopted brother see reason. And he couldn't push it away. So he adjusted his bowtie unnecessarily, and sighed, frown deepening, still glaring, "Gabe. I'm giving you one last chance. Stop this mess. You know how it's going to end. You won't be proven better than me after all this, even after you beat me. It'd just backfire on you."

The others had no choice but to watch, mouths and eyes wide open for some of them.

"So you already know who's going to win. Unfortunately for you, _brother_ , I can't stop this now. No one can! I'm going to get justice, and no one will stop me! all of you will perish for _ever_ being on his side!" Gabriel shouted, pointing at all of them. Pacifier's eyes widened, and the other monsters growled.

"Gabriel! this wasn't the deal!" Pyronica shouted back at him. "You said that I'd get to rule with you!"

The star demon snickered a little bit. Everyone else then gasped. Bill's eye widened, and he looked over at Pyronica. The pieces finally began to fall into place. Instead of getting angry like he did for the rest, however, he seemed a little... sad? his eye twitched and then his brow furrowed, as if he was trying to stop tears, and he shakily sighed, unable to cope with this, "What...? Pyronica..? you..?"

The flame lady was one of his closest friends. So obviously he'd be hit pretty hard. He could barely say anything. Kryptos, on the other hand, glared at her, showing the anger Bill was inexplicably yet explicably lacking. But there was no way he could act on it. Pyronica glanced at the triangle coolly, and was about to say something, but the rhombus slammed his fist on the bubble, which produced a resonating clang throughout the room.

Gabriel frowned when that happened, a little afraid of what would happen if the bubble cracked, but it stayed sealed. He then directed his gaze back to Pyronica and laughed, "Did you really think that just by bringing him here I'd reward you with ownership of the multiverse? you're nothing more than a means to an end. Or, now, a loose end. One I intend to cut."

He snapped his fingers and a bubble went around her as well, which he then tapped before she could utter a syllable in defense, sending her who knew where. Then he directed his gaze back to Bill with a smirk, "Now it's just you and me."

Bill clenched his fists. Sadness turned into anger now, or more like he pushed it aside; he'd deal with Pyronica when or if he found her again. He growled, brow furrowing more deeply, "Yes. It _is_ just you and me. But leave Steven out of this. It just wouldn't be a fair fight of dignity this way, would it?"

The demons then watched, frowning deeply. They had no choice. Pacifier looked at them all, and then placed a hand on the bubble. She sighed. She should have been expecting this. But apparently Gabriel was better at hiding secrets than Bill himself was. With Bill, at least you had an idea of what to expect from him. And one of them was loyalty of varying degrees and definitions, but it was always there.

Why did she turn her back on him? she wondered. But she knew. 8-Ball set a hand on her shoulder, but it wasn't noticed.

"Fine by me. I don't need this anymore anyway," he clutched the gem and pulled at it, and was mildly surprised when it didn't budge. "Hmm... actually, no, never mind! if I let him go, how would I know you wouldn't just grab him and run off with him?" he hid this panicky feeling he had now. That he was about to lose. He didn't want to lose.

The triangle's eye widened, and then it narrowed. He caught onto this and voiced it with another growl, "You can't remove it, can you?"

That was actually part of the plan. Grab Steven and get out. But this wasn't going to let that plan come to fruition, and his talking method didn't work. He certainly hoped the boy had another one. But he and the star would have to fight either way, even if the first one was successful.

"W-well... no! but we're still going to fight!" without waiting for Bill's response, he fired a pink laser at him.

"Of course," he frowned, and dodged this. It hit the bubble behind him, and the other monsters reacted poorly to this, forgetting obviously that they were still protected and trapped. But something unexpected happened. The laser bounced back at Gabriel after a few short seconds of inactivity. It almost hit the gem, if not for the shield that suddenly sprung up and stopped it. The shield lowered. The star felt himself catching on fire, similar to how Bill had, just out of pure rage.

The triangle's eye widened. He saw it almost hit the gem. He began to think on this fast, wondering how else he could fight his adopted brother. He got an idea, and gathered enough willpower and energy to teleport behind Gabriel, shooting a laser near where his eye would be, hoping the rage would be a distraction. Gabriel's eye, just as expected, switched sides so it hit him right in that spot. He cried out in pain, but all this only amplified his rage. He turned completely red, a bright, bold color, glaring at his brother. If looks could kill, everyone would be dead just about now.

"Stand down, Gabriel," the triangle narrowed his eye, not fazed at all. He was _still_ trying to talk him down. And he barely knew why. "This isn't worth it at all."

"Isn't worth it...? _do you even begin to know what kind of hell you put me through_?!" he looked up at Bill, glaring him down, his rage mounting even more. "NOTHING WILL FIX WHAT YOU DID TO ME! AND YOU STILL HAVEN'T EVEN SAID SORRY!" he created several shields in the air, which caught on fire and became all spiky as they soared towards Bill.

The demon gasped, and dodged some of these, but a few cut into his form, and he screamed briefly in pain, rubbing at his side where one of the wounds were. He could tell that these would leave nasty scars. He growled, and attacked with various sharp materials in turn, like swords and spears, but being careful not to hit the gem, and shouted back, "Like I said before, I shouldn't have to apologize! _you_ were at fault! just like the rest of them!"

He kept firing sharp weapon after sharp weapon, doing his best to keep calm. He couldn't go into another meltdown now. Even if there was another, albeit buried, emotion now in the fray. He continued, "Or have you forgotten about that too?!"

"JUST SHUT UP!" Gabriel yelled, putting up a shield against the barrage of weapons. He didn't fight back. Or didn't seem to. But the entire Temple began to rumble and dust began to fall from the ceiling.

Bill gasped, looking up at the crumbling, carved ceiling. He frowned a bit. He really didn't want the Temple to collapse on them all, so he stopped his barrage of attacks, and shouted, "Let's take this outside, Gabriel!"

The other monsters exchanged glances, worried, and some put their hands on the bubble again.

"GOOD IDEA!" Gabriel floated upwards, crashing through the ceiling, leaving a star-shaped hole. After him floated the bubble of helpless demons.

"That's not what I meant!" Bill growled, but followed him, his triangular and skinny frame fitting through the hole easily. He had meant for them to use the _door_. But no matter. The demon snapped his fingers and fixed the hole, but it wouldn't stop the process of deterioration. The other demons looked around. They were soon outside again, with all the Cluster Demons and eyebats too. This made them even more anxious. Gabriel muttered something back angrily. He looked around at his minions. He could easily make them all attack Bill. But even he had more dignity than that.

And the triangle was counting on that, settling on the ground a few yards away from the Zodiac Temple, and tried to tend to his wounds a bit; it wasn't really working. The Cluster Demons around that area only gave him a glance, though a few stepped forward looking to destroy him. It would be what their new master wanted, wouldn't it?

The eyebats just continued focusing on the aerial surroundings, not paying any of them any mind. Kryptos banged on the bubble again, trying to get them all out. His hands were starting to hurt for his troubles. 8-Ball and Xanthar started to help too, while the smaller demons watched. Pacifier, however, simply sat there, and sighed.

Gabriel called out to them, floating a few meters away from Bill, "No. He's mine. I get to kill him."

And so they stopped, going back to their posts. Bill smirked slightly, ignoring the pain the best he could. Good. This was a battle between the two brothers, and no one else. He then glanced at the gem, frowning softly now. And Steven was caught in the crossfire. Not for long he hoped...

He made a sound like he was clearing his throat, and then spoke, "I may be somewhat depowered, but I'm not weak. It'll be hard to get what you want."

"I already have what I want, brother. You, right here, about to die before me!" he shouted, before creating more flaming spiky shields and launching them. Bill gasped, not exactly expecting this, and closed his eye, bracing himself. He didn't think he'd make it. His friends watched helplessly behind the bubble, eyes completely wide. But then...

..they stopped, right before they hit Bill, and fizzled out, vanishing in midair into nothing at all. The triangle's eye soon opened and widened after he realized he was still up and they never hit him. He hadn't expected this, not at all. He stammered a bit, "H..huh?"

 _C...could it be Steven...?_ he thought to himself, and glanced at the gem. The other monsters could barely believe this either, but they lacked the knowledge that Bill had to try and chalk it up.

Gabriel gasped, looking down at the gem, and furrowed his brow soon enough.

" _Y O U 'RE SUPPOSED TO OBEY ME!_ " he gutturally roared. He pounded the gem, until a crack ran through it and it detached from him. He grunted, the loss of power overwhelming him for a second. The bubble around the Henchmaniacs vanished; they were set free. And somewhere else, Pyronica, too, was set free. But in a different way, she was being trapped again.

Bill gasped, and immediately grabbed the gem before it hit the ground with his telekinesis and pulled it closer to him. He stared at it for a while, grasping it gingerly, and then at the crack, and frowned softly. The demon sighed. He didn't think he had enough power to heal Gems quite yet, much less a half Gem. Heck, he couldn't even heal _himself_. He choked on a small sob, but swallowed it back down. Again, he couldn't break down now.

Meanwhile, 8-Ball cracked his knuckles, resizing himself, and was the first to rush Gabriel while he was distracted. Xanthar followed, having also restored his size. Of course, the two had been wanting action the most. Kryptos glanced over at Bill, and Hectorgon hummed. Pacifier still sat there, and Teeth stayed behind to offer useless comfort. Gabriel suddenly started laughing. He looked insane. Which he probably was anyway. A pink wall then formed, preventing 8-Ball from coming any closer.

"IT'S A GOOD THING I ABSORBED THE POWERS!" he yelled, grinning with glee.

8-Ball was thus knocked back by the small shockwave into Xanthar, who then crashed into the other demons who failed to get out of the way. Teeth and Pacifier were knocked unconscious. Bill Cipher didn't seem to register this, still staring at the rose quartz gem. He rubbed at it softly, "K..kid..?"

Kryptos shouted, and then fired a healing beam at the gem. The triangle certainly registered this, and it was the thing that snapped him out of it. He returned his attention to Gabriel, and snarled. The pain was still bugging him though, but this was more important. He muttered, "You monster..."

It was a bit of a delayed reaction, but the gem soon healed up and started glowing then. But it suddenly stopped as Gabriel threw some more of Steven's shields at Bill, rapidly.

It seemed... somehow...

..irreversible.

The two were connected.

The demon dodged these, still holding onto Steven's gem, still ignoring how much pain he was suffering. He seemed to realize what was going on here. And he'd have to kill his adopted brother to end it. He clenched his free hand, and various swords of many sizes appeared. He telekinetically tossed them all at Gabriel. Kryptos and Hectorgon and 8-Ball and Xanthar watched carefully, silently rooting for Bill as the latter two tended to Teeth and Pacifier.

Gabriel dodged all but one of them. That one landed right in the center of his eye. He screamed in absolute agony, clawing at it, trying to remove the rather skinny blade lodged in him. He only succeeded in breaking it and causing it to hurt more, to go deeper. The golden triangle didn't smirk at all with this, even as he realized he was winning. And this time, Gabriel would pay with his life. Bill wouldn't give him a future chance to come back. The projectiles were thrown once again, and this time were wreathed in burning red fire. This time, because Gabriel was blind and distracted, they all hit their target. He yelled even louder, burning bright red. He yanked them out with magic, but they all left behind serious wounds and cracks.

 _Fatal_ wounds and cracks.

Bill would ask if his brother had enough, but he had to die. He shot off lasers this time, eye narrowing. The lasers hit the wounds, and the star shrieked with pain, screaming uncontrollably. This was it for him. So he, in a flash of light, vanished from existence in pieces, and the agonizing screams soon died away, and the only thing he left behind was a small piece of paper that floated down unnoticed to the very spot he had once stood...

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 **A/N:** And that's that. Say farewell to Gabriel, everyone. He had a nice run. Ace played him excellently, and Pyronica too; I had the rest of them. And, forget what I said, you can definitely call this a Wham Chapter, in all its 3,691 words. Also, Ace and I like to imagine Wheatley reading over Gabriel's lines. So that should help you add a voice to him. XD

So, there it is. I hope you enjoyed. And don't be scared by the title. There's lots more to come.  
 **What Could Have Been:** Bill would have sung his own version of Stronger Than You. But nah. I decided not to do that.

Heheheh, see ya next Thursday! oh, and since Christmas is only in three days and this probably won't be updated then, consider this your Christmas present, and I wish you a Merry Christmas! and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

((EDIT: Gabriel's "You're supposed to obey me" was supposed to be spaced out, but fanfiction won't allow it. So I had to do it the boring way.))


	30. The Tragic Keepsake

**A/N:** Aaaand here's Chapter Thirty! finally, right? now, you get the near full insight... and, if you'd like, you can consider this a Wham Chapter. Sheesh, when will this Wham end? o_o

Hehee, AppleSpongeCake thought it was gonna end on the previous chapter. HAHAHAH! WELL, THINK AGAIN! this one's pretty long, to make up for the short chapters you'd been getting as of late. (EDIT: turns out she was upset about how the chapter ended. Whoops.) So, without further ado, ENJOY!~

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 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirty: The Tragic Keepsake**

Silence overwhelmed the entire former battlefield. The piece of paper was still lying there, unnoticed by everyone in the shock. There was a bit of a delay, but soon the remainder of light from Gabriel vanishing into nothingness shot into the gem Bill was holding, like a spear. The power Gabriel had stolen. Steven was complete again. So the gem, once the demon realized this and thus let it go, began to lift and glow. Bill sighed, and knelt a little, the adrenaline rush disappearing. He was now _really_ starting to feel the pain. But he just focused on the glowing gem. And so did the monsters who were still awake, eyes wide for some of them, though Pacifier and Teeth were coming to.

Around the gem soon glowed a familiar form. When it was fully and completely formed, there stood Steven, floating a little above the ground a little, in his normal clothing surprisingly enough. Bill very nearly smiled when he saw the boy was unhurt, and blinked a little, hand on one of his wounds, before he asked anyway, "S...Steven? are you okay?"

8-Ball finally, _finally_ got to see who this Steven was, and he wasn't very impressed. For one, he was _human_. Er, half-human. Still. But if Bill was happy, 8-Ball was happy, and he smirked, crossing his arms. Xanthar hooted cheerfully, hopping up and down and rumbling the area again. Kryptos smiled. The rhombic demon was an anomaly, if only because he didn't see humans as fleshbags or insignificant creatures like his triangular friend and the grand majority of his friends did. Pacifier looked upon Steven, eyes wide. She seemed to have recovered from her trance. The picture on the ground was still ignored.

The boy was confused, looking around, not seeming to have heard Bill's question. "What's going on?" and then he gasped when he took a look at the triangle's cracked form, "You're hurt!"

He licked his hands and then stuck them on Bill, to heal him up. He was reminded of when he first found the statue of him and healed it. The memory brought a smile to his face. The demon shuddered at the feel of it, but soon felt relieved as his wounds and fissures vanished. Bill sighed as the pain disintegrated, and he smiled, "T..thanks.."

And then he finally looked around, getting up and floating, and he saw that piece of paper lying on the ground where Gabriel had been standing. An eyebrow rose, but Kryptos caught his attention, "So, uh, Bill. Now that Gabriel's gone, I guess we'll have to get going towards home now. _Someone's_ gotta spread the news."

The triangle nodded, but seemed preoccupied, "Right. You do that."

The rhombus smirked a little, not noticing, "It still won't be the same without you. But I understand you wanting to stay."

Xanthar nodded vigorously, and 8-Ball hummed, arms still crossed. Pacifier still couldn't say a single word now. Bill frowned a bit, "Since when did I say I wanted to stay?"

Kryptos shrugged then, and the golden triangle sighed, somewhat exasperated. He knew, however, how his friend knew, but didn't call him out. He decided he could lift the rule that reading his mind was off limits for right now.

"I'll definitely miss having you around, Bill. But you should assign someone leader so we don't have another giant war or something," Hectorgon suggested.

Steven watched silently, confused. He gasped as he remembered. He could recall seeing the battle through Gabe's eye... and stopping him when he had to. He remembered the pain of his gem cracking... and the sudden emptiness that pursued. Bill nodded, and squinted his eye. However, he only focused on the hexagon and the diamond. He pointed at them, "Why don't you two be the leaders? I see no reason why you _both_ can't rule."

Kryptos gasped, mouth and eye wide open, "R..really?"

The triangle nodded, and none of the demons objected. They liked the idea. However, the Cluster Demons were still standing around the Zodiac Temple, confused at the lack of thoughts transmitting through their minds. Gabriel wasn't around anymore. Who would lead them now? but the eyebats had already left. Hectorgon nodded, "That seems pretty cool to me."

Steven stared, wondering, "Hey, where'd all you guys come from in the first place?"

Bill nearly froze; he _still_ hadn't told Steven where he came from. But, to his credit, he was planning it and how to tell it to him before the whole event that kicked off when they both saw the news. But it would be a lie. Half-lie, at least. Kryptos exchanged glances with 8-Ball after he saw the look on Bill's face, and cleared his "throat", smiling a bit as he looked at the boy, "We... we come from a land of dreams, Steven."

Teeth stared for a while, and 8-Ball nudged him, which prompted this, "Oh, oh, yeah! dreams! great dreams!"

Xanthar rumbled, catching on as well. Pacifier nodded, and spoke somewhat stiltedly, "Yes. We are from the Dream Realm."

Well, for Pacifier and the rest of the demons who weren't shapes, this was completely and totally true, but bowdlerized. "Nightmare" had too much of a negative connotation. The rhombic demon chanced a glance at the Cluster Demons. Steven frowned, "It sounds a little worse than that."

"Well, that's because the rest of the demons were all fightin'! now that we're going to tell them that we're the new leaders and Gabriel's gone, it should all be safe!" Kryptos continued his poor lie, weaving a truth into it. Bill snapped out of his trance, but was immediately put into another, staring at the still ignored paper on the ground. He couldn't quite get a good look at it, but he knew. He almost started trembling. Nobody noticed, too wrapped up in keeping Steven out of the loop on Bill's mental order.

"So what's it like there?" the boy tilted his head at them, mostly at the rhombus. "It doesn't sound too great."

Kryptos began sweating, obviously at his breaking point, "It's... exactly as you say! it _was_. But, as I said, it should be great again!"

8-Ball nodded, tightening the hold on his arms. He wanted to leave right now. He wanted to get back there and help Kryptos and Hectorgon spread the great news. Not help some... _human_. The triangle felt this thought and almost immediately reprimanded him via a psychic link, and the ape-like creature cringed. But, unlike 8-Ball, Bill was grateful for the distraction, even if it also took insulting Steven. Pacifier tapped her feet, and her natural frown deepened. She, too, was growing impatient. She, too, wanted to go home. She'd had enough of this dimension.

"Hmm..." Steven shifted his attention to the piece of paper lying where Gabriel had once stood. He began towards it, "Hey, what's this?"

Finally, they all noticed, much to Bill's chagrin, and ice ran through his veins. Kryptos and Hectorgon then developed strange looks on their faces, as if they knew. The triangle and the other shapes couldn't even stop the boy, however, in time. The paper was a photograph of a steel blue circle with a hot pink bow atop it, and a pale green square wearing a black bowler hat and tie. One of the odder parts was that the picture was half in color, half in black and white. 8-Ball grew curious, raising both eyebrows, and so did Xanthar.

Steven picked it up. "What... what is this?" he asked, frowning, before he showed it to Bill. "Are these some other demons?"

Bill stared at the photo, a never-before-seen, at least by Steven, emotion in his eye, and almost started shaking again, too caught up in his thoughts to answer at the moment. Kryptos bit his lip, and grabbed 8-Ball and the rest, however impossibly, before they started inquiring too, and fired this off at near motor mouth speeds, "Well, it was nice meeting you, Steven, gotta go thanks bye!" and they all, including the Cluster Demons with the rhombic demon's mental request, disappeared in a flash of a bright light.

Steven was frowning. "Who are they?" he asked Bill again, wondering why everyone else left so quickly.

The triangular demon sighed, and decided to out with the truth. However much he didn't like it. He sighed shakily, grabbing at his arms, "T..they're my parents..."

He _hated_ acting like this. He tried not to break down, especially now. He had to keep it away.

"Oh... why is this photo even here?" he asked, knowing it had something to do with Gabe.

"I... I don't know... _he_ must have kept it as a keepsake..." he frowned, and then he mumbled, staring at the ground, "all this time..."

Gabriel loved his parents. And they loved him too. If only... if only... he couldn't finish the thought, and it was hard, difficult even, not to cry. Not in front of Steven, he reminded himself. He took in a deep "breath", trying to stay calm.

"They're dead, aren't they?" asked Steven, understanding. "It's okay. My mom's dead too. I didn't even get to know her..."

But there had to be more, he thought, to this. The demon stopped floating, frowning softly. He nodded, oddly silent now. They were both the cause of their parents' deaths, he noted. One difference, though... and that was that the boy wasn't even aware. Just a baby. Just born. He almost wished it was the other way around, that what happened to Steven happened to him and vice versa, just then. The boy stared at Bill. Before hugging him. He knew the triangle didn't generally appreciate them, but maybe... just maybe... he'd be able to help him with them this time.

The triangle gasped, tears springing up in his eye. He wanted to pull away for a minute, squirming a little bit, but ended up just standing there awkwardly. It felt strange. But for some reason, at least for right now, he didn't complain. Bill closed his eye, and slowly hugged the boy back, almost letting the tears flow. He finally seemed to start to understand the value of hugs.

Steven smiled and patted his back, "There, there. It's alright." He then glanced at the photo, and discreetly stuck it into his pocket, deciding it was best to be somewhere else for now. The demon sniffled, luckily having had sucked the stray tears back into his eye by then. He was grateful, and relieved, that Steven wasn't asking more personal questions. But... at the same time... he felt like he wanted to answer them. Bill was conflicted once again. And the very fact he was conflicted made him remember that he was conflicted about saving Steven. His frown deepened slightly, and he slowly let go of the boy, reluctant yet not reluctant at the same time.

Steven looked Bill in the eye. "Are you alright now?" he asked, with a soft, concerned smile.

He sighed, and then somewhat lied, "Yeah, I think so. Thanks, kid..."

But he wasn't alright. He felt like Gabriel was having the last laugh right now, wherever dream demons go when they die. He felt confused again, especially with Steven. His thoughts were becoming a jumbled mess, but the majority of it was about his parents, and was about the enigma that is Steven. He _couldn't_ figure it out. He just _couldn't_ , and that was so unusual to him. But, even with all this, he was grateful that he wasn't about to break out into a pathetic weep any time soon.

Steven nodded. "Don't mention it. I think we should get out of here, though..." he shot a curiously nervous glance towards the crumbling Temple.

"Agreed," Bill seconded his glance and started levitating again. "There should be a Warp Pad in the near distance, I think..."

He wasn't sure if it was working though. It would certainly explain why the Crystal Gems were walking instead, though they had had first to retrieve something important. The demon rubbed at his top point, taking another deep breath. He wanted to ask his own questions now, but held it down. And he was wondering...

..should he tell Steven where he came from?

The boy looked around and soon saw it. "There! let's go!" he exclaimed, rushing towards it, unaware of Bill's thoughts.

Bill followed him, silently, still thinking. He hummed softly, and finally decided. He adjusted his bowtie, "Hey, uh, kid..."

But his mind decided to stop on him, which was rare and had never happened since... that incident, at the school... he frowned, shivering a little bit. His mind wanted to leave it well enough alone now, leave it in the past where it belonged, just like he wanted with this rescue. But, at the same time, _something_ inside wanted him to answer all of the boy's questions, bar one...

He groaned inwardly.

"Yeah, Bill?" Steven stopped and turned to the triangle, giving him a concerned glance.

"I.. uh.. I," his groan turned outward then, and he forced his mind to work again. He finally got out, "If you have any questions, any at all, don't hesitate to ask me. Sans one," and then he hesitantly added, "or else. Alright, kid?"

The threat was empty though. _Very, highly_ empty. It was his attempt to get back to how he acted prior to meeting Steven, prior to everything that happened with Steven. It mostly worked. And yet it didn't at the same time.

"Uh... okay, then," the boy was lost for a moment before he realized what the triangle meant. "Wait, you mean I can ask you any questions, but...?" he couldn't get that last part.

"But one. And that's Weirdmageddon," he replied, frowning. That event was yet another stain on his life, but it was sliding into different reasons now. Very slowly.

Steven nodded. "Alright. So what exactly happened to your parents?" he asked softly, hoping that had nothing to do with Weirdmageddon. He picked up the pace again.

His frown deepened, and he was about to complain. But he _did_ say the kid could ask anything he wanted. He didn't move for a while, but eventually he did, floating next to Steven. Bill fixed his bowtie unnecessarily, growing a little uneasy, "Well, remember when you overheard Gabriel? back at the school?"

He nodded, looking at Bill, "What about it?"

" _That's_ what happened to my parents..." his tone suddenly got dark, and his pupil, for a brief second, flashed a deep crimson. He was angry at them, that was for sure. Even after all these years. His hatred for them, all of them, ran deep. And, apparently, as he unfortunately discovered, the pain he tried to hide and push away ran just as deep.

"You... you killed them?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes..." he admitted, unashamed, and clenched his fists, looking towards the Warp Pad. They were only a few yards away from it now, nearing it at a brisk pace. He growled slightly, before he continued, "And I know what you're thinking, but they deserved every minute of it..."

And he left this part out, only thinking it to himself with an inward sigh, _My parents weren't like yours, Steven... or Sadie's..._

"How so?" Steven pursed his lips, looking concerned, and then he looked across the Warp Pad when they were a few feet away. He was dismayed to find that it was cracked along the center, but was sure he could fix it with his healing spit.

Hopefully.

Maybe.

Bill sighed, looking down at the ground now, "Well... you ever heard of abusive relationships, kid...? or even the concept of abuse in and of itself..?"

His eye twitched, and he felt his eye getting wet around the edge. No. He wouldn't engage in that sap. Never. Especially in front of Steven. He was about to get into some of the most sensitive parts of his life. He needed to stay strong for this.

"Oh... no wonder..." Steven thought of Amethyst just then. How her background was. He couldn't help but compare the two. They both were mean sometimes, but they both had gone through things... "Hold on," the boy reached the Warp Pad and spat on it. To his amazement, it glowed and healed up.

The triangle squeezed and wrung out his hands, watching the restoration of the teleportation platform. He sighed, "Yeah... only Amethyst eventually had gotten people in her life who actually loved her... where I came from, triangles were extremely, _extremely_ low on the hierarchy. My parents didn't want me because of that..." and then he mumbled, "why they didn't just put me up for adoption instead of trying to get rid of me like that when I was still an infant is beyond me..."

He started shaking uncontrollably now. He doubted even Kryptos and Hectorgon liked him just for him. He wondered if they only pitied him. After all, diamonds and hexagons were a lot higher up.

"Oh... so the more sides you have, the higher level you are?" Gabriel had ten sides, Steven had noted. But he still considered Bill greater. A lot greater. "But Bill... you're not in the hierarchy now. You're here. On Earth! you can do whatever you want here. And... I don't think you're low. I think you're pretty great."

Bill looked at Steven just then, and he felt that warm feeling again. He smiled a bit, "T..thanks..."

It helped just a tad at helping him feel better. But it wouldn't immediately erase the suffering. It would be _highly_ unrealistic, and just plain impossible. And then he frowned, the little feeling poking about inside again. He studied Steven a little bit, and decided to ask, "What are you...? I mean, I know you're half-Gem and all that, but.. I.. I don't exactly.. _get_ you..."

Steven took all this in, and sighed, "Sometimes, I don't get me either. I mean... I should have died when I was poofed, according to Gabe. So maybe I'm not as human as I thought... or not that human at all..." and then sighed again.

"Th..that's not what I'm talking about..." Bill's eye twitched again. "You have so much..." and his brow furrowed as he tried to wrack his mind for that one word that evaded him every time, "what is that word...?"

"So much what?" Steven sat on the Warp Pad, staring at Bill, wondering what he meant.

"I.. I believe it starts with an... "e".. doesn't it?" he sat beside Steven on the edge, trying to think so hard on this. He remembered Shooting Star exhibited this right when she was about to hand the Journal over. And it confused him so much. And Steven was practically made of it, which made the boy pretty much unpredictable to the golden demon. Uncanny enough.

"E...? hmm... encouraging?" he wondered, uncertain.

Bill shook himself. He knew that wasn't it. Though Steven had been a great deal encouraging when the demon was doing something right or what he wanted. He clasped his hands, brow furrowing further, hoping it wouldn't take too long.

"...I've got nothing," Steven shrugged after a while.

"Well.. then I guess I got nothing as well," the triangle sighed, a little disappointed. He got up and walked into the middle of the Warp Pad. "Let's just go back."

Steven nodded and sighed, and then got up and joined Bill. He activated it, and a beam of light seemed to "disintegrate" them as it took them elsewhere, back home through the long Tunnel. The boy thought he'd take a nap when he got there. He yawned, breaking his concentration for just a moment—and for just a moment, they both floated in an inky darkness, in which they could only see one familiar pink figure, and Bill's eye widened with a short gasp—until Steven regained control and finally landed onto the Pad in his beach home...

* * *

 **A/N:** And there it is! I hope you enjoyed it! and now that you've read this chapter the secret story I'd been trying to work on has been unlocked. First chapter'll be released within a few hours, or within a few days. :3  
Ace had Steven again, and Hectorgon for his first two lines, and I had the rest of them, especially Bill. :3 I hope it's not too fast. Ace and I thought it was just right, the pacing. Also, there are about three or four or so references in this chapter. I hope you can spot them! and here's a question for you all, just to see if you're paying attention. It's the same thing Bill asked Steven, but I'll say it again here: "What is the 'e' word Bill's trying to think of?"

Haha, you got homework! on Winter Break.. and for some reason it's still silent... I hope you guys are alright.  
But, anyway, the end of this year is nigh! and since I'm still wobbly on when I should upload the story I'm talking about, I'll wish you a happy new year just in case I decide to upload it afterwards or beforehand. HAPPY NEW YEAR!


	31. The Book

**A/N:** I see that there are no new reviews. Oh, well. I thank those who favorited and followed the secret story _and_ this. But, enough of my babble! say hello to Chapter Thirty-One! it starts off directly from the previous chapter. Like _directly_ directly. So.. yeah! I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirty-One: The Book**

The demon was fairly shocked, his eye wide. Thoughts rushed through his mind about that pink character. He didn't know what that was, but it was either one of two people he knew, or simply knew about. His adopted brother... or... _her_...

He didn't quite know what to think. He shook himself, trying to push that away for right now, and floated upwards and off the Warp Pad. The triangle looked around, taking in everything like he hadn't seen it for a long time. And it might as well have been, even if it was only for a few hours. It felt like it, after all. The sun was hanging a little lower than it would at noon, a clear sign it was the afternoon, but light was still pouring through the home.

Steven sighed. "Can you make something to eat? I'm starving..." he said sleepily, yawning. He didn't seem to have noticed the strange anomaly that had occurred in the Warp Tunnel.

The demon looked over at him, and nodded, still thinking about everything that happened today, that he told. He replied, snapping his fingers and making the cooking utensils appear once more, around him, and the abandoned breakfast plates on the bed disappear, "Sure thing, kid. What do _you_ have in mind though?"

He shrugged, "Something simple and plain, maybe. That's all my stomach can probably handle."

"Got it," he thought of something. A simple chicken sandwich. He dispelled the cooking utensils and decided to test his magic out a little. Bill waved his hands, and a chicken sandwich appeared in Steven's hands. And one appeared in his too. He smiled a little, "There ya go. Simple and plain."

Steven ate it slowly, nodding with gratitude, and then went upstairs to watch TV. He turned it to Crying Breakfast Friends, feeling he needed to calm down after everything that happened. Bill ate slowly too. He hummed a little, following Steven and sitting beside him on the bed. Then again, it was probably also the traitor... he rubbed his "chin" with thought, eye slightly narrowed. Either way, he was grateful for this change of pace and thought. His parents had had enough thoughts dedicated to them. And even that was too much.

Steven finished up quickly, and soon fell asleep sitting there, never mind watching the TV. The dream demon only spared Steven a glance, and that was it. He wasn't going to infect the boy's dreams with nightmares. But he didn't really know exactly why. Not yet anyway. He kept an eye on the television, eating only on commercial breaks or when nothing was really happening. This was a downside to having your eye double as your mouth. He sighed. The boy eventually fell backwards, still fast asleep.

Bill continued to watch the show, laughing at nearly everything. He still found tears funny, he realized. He didn't quite know how to feel about that. Steven was silently asleep, sprawled out on the bed, still in his normal clothes.

The show soon wrapped up, and the demon glanced at Steven again, the laughter dying down. He finished off his chicken sandwich, and studied the boy once more. What made this kid tick? what couldn't he understand? this was troublesome, but not for the reasons he first had. Not anymore. Bill looked down at his hands. He was confused. What couldn't he get? why was this happening to him? he sighed a little, and then glanced up at and turned off the television with his magic.

Steven moved a little, wrapping the blankets around himself. The triangle watched this occur. Steven was the new show for right now. He wondered what he was dreaming. Probably Lapis. Or about the demon himself? this was a power he must have lost for a while, he surmised—that inferno attack and the fight with Gabriel must have had something to do with it. This wasn't good.

Bill soon shook himself, trying to get his mind off this, and then looked at one of the stuffed animals lined up across the edge of Steven's bed. It was the same one with which he had unknowingly cuddled earlier this morning.

The sad bunny.

He frowned softly, and gingerly grabbed its plushy paw. It reminded him a little of how he sometimes felt on the inside. Perhaps that was why he was so subconsciously drawn to it? and then he remembered something from his childhood. His expression grew a little sad, and perhaps also nostalgic, and he sighed.

And suddenly, Connie and Wendy arrived, the brunette almost bursting through the door. Connie looked around, and soon spotted Steven lying on his bed. She gasped, "Steven! we've been looking all over for..." but then she saw Bill. Her expression got hostile, "What are _you_ doing here?"

Something snapped inside of Bill just then. It was minor, but he felt his subconscious shift a little into his old ways. He was grateful for this. Bill let go of the paw, and turned around, frowning at Connie and Wendy, before he then grinned at them, and dropped off this sarcastic remark, "Well, hello to you too, kid! and I don't know if you noticed, but I live here now!"

Wendy, however, wasn't so hostile at all. She stood by the door, leaning back against the frame, just staring at Bill with a strange expression. It seemed mixed with confused sorrow and pity, along with what seemed to be an apology. The triangle noticed, but didn't care at the moment.

"Well, where were you and Steven? we looked everywhere..." she glanced at Wendy, looking and feeling a little guilty. They hadn't even entered the school the second time around. All they had done was exit the school to his house, to the library via Lion's portal, and then to Fish Stew Pizza. Hardly looking at all for the duo.

The demon's grin turned into a frown just like that, as he caught onto the lie. He crossed his arms, "No. You haven't. And our whereabouts aren't any of your business..."

He didn't want to think about that anymore, or talk about it, especially not to Connie or Wendy. Wendy grimaced, but remained uncharacteristically silent, squeezing her arm a little bit.

"But you were at the school. We saw your video on Tubetube, and on Keep Beach City Weird!" Connie argued, pulling out her phone.

Bill's frown deepened, and he sighed, getting up and levitating off the bed and over to the young teenagers, "Yes, yes, I know. Been there, done that, thank you. Still none of your business."

The redhead took a deep breath, studying the demon a little more now that he was closer to them. Before she read that book, she felt fear and hostility whenever he was near. Now all she felt was a sort of understanding, albeit a little flimsy and confused. She furrowed her brow as she stared, and the demon briefly shot a glare at her, trying to get her to stop looking so hard at him.

It barely succeeded.

"We, uh... read your book," Connie soon decided to say, putting her phone away. The majority of the time between Steven getting possessed and Steven getting reformed was spent on mulling over the strange book at the restaurant.

And almost all the hostility suddenly left his widening eye just then. His eyebrow was raised, and he appeared confused, "M..my book? there's a book on me?"

Wendy nodded, still remaining silent. Said book was currently tucked in her jacket. He glanced at the jacket, and frowned. He had no idea who decided it would be a fantastic idea to turn his life into a book. But if he found them, he'd... he'd... agh, he couldn't even think up a threat.

Connie was silent now too, for once. Steven's eyes were wide open. He was awake and listening, and had been for a little bit, silently.

"Let me see it..." the demon began quietly, staring at Wendy with a hand outstretched. She straightened up just then, but didn't give him the book. He repeated it a little harshly, somewhat desperately. The redhead stiffened, and then pulled out and passed him the mahogany book. Bill took it and stared, perhaps even _glared_ , at the cover for a long while, eye twitching every now and then. Wendy was honestly expecting him to burn the book.

Connie, however, didn't know what she was expecting, to be honest. The two of them went through the entire thing, annotating and putting sticky notes in it. He opened the book and flipped through it, not really registering any of the pages or Connie's and Wendy's notes. He knew his life after all. He, unfortunately, had the rotten luck to have lived it. Bill subtly choked on a sob, trying not to cry. Oh, he'd be _damned_ if he broke down crying in front of these two kids, _especially_ the redhead. Wendy kept studying him, for any reaction at all, but even she couldn't pick up on the demon's turmoil.

Connie bit her lip, wondering if he was cringing at her handwriting, which seemed unlikely but possible. And he obviously wasn't. He shut the book when he got to the end and practically shoved it back into Wendy's hands, trembling almost uncontrollably. He clenched his hands into fists, growling slightly. And he was once again thinking about his failure of a childhood. Today was just his lucky day, wasn't it? Bill floated away from them, crossing his arms and mumbling stuff. The redhead's eyes were wide now, as she hugged the book to her chest. This wasn't really what she was expecting.

"Bill... are you okay?" Steven had stood now, by the banister, and had been watching him leaf through. Connie was a little surprised by Steven's appearance as well as question.

The demon glanced up and over at him, and shook slightly. He regained his composure with a few breaths, and sighed, "Yeah... yeah... I'm fine.."

This time it was somewhat obvious it was a lie. Wendy knew it was time for her and Connie to take their leave,—heck, she almost swore "Get out" was among what Bill had muttered, and it was also written in his body language—and pulled open the door after putting away the book, wordlessly still. Connie soon decided to follow through with the hint, even though she would have liked to talk to Steven. She headed out the door, and Wendy trailed her, closing it soon afterwards.

The boy walked down the steps to Bill, gave him a small hug, and then returned upstairs. Bill sniffled, appreciating the hug once more but was even a little sad it didn't last this time, and followed the boy back upstairs.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there it is! woop, there it is! Ace had Connie and Steven, she played them wonderfully. I had Bill and Wendy. I hope you enjoyed this. :3  
I'll see you next Thursday, or this Saturday! oh, and, uh, heh, good luck with school! I hear some of you may have started this week. Even to those who hadn't yet, like me, I wish you good luck still!  
So.. yeah! see ya!


	32. That Elusive E Word

**A/N:** So, I guess I'm just gonna be entertaining an empty crowd (save for the favorites and follows) for an indefinite amount of time... well, the show's gotta go on. Chapter Thirty-Two, come on out!  
 **WARNING:** Prepare for extreme fluff.

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirty-Two: That Elusive "E" Word**

Steven hopped back onto his bed, and lay down, sighing a little. Bill rubbed at his eye, as if preventing tears from falling, and stared at Steven, eyebrow raised, "How was your sleep, kid..?"

"Confusing. I saw Lapis but she was screaming. And there was a boat, I think...?" he shrugged.

The demon blinked at this. He had a nightmare? without his counsel? Bill had to fight a smirk from crossing his eye, strangely enough. Instead, he focused on this boat, "A boat, eh?"

 _Please don't say what I think it is.. please..._ he mentally pleaded, but it wasn't transmitted so that Steven could hear. The boy would have no idea what it meant to the triangle anyway. But, regardless of what Steven's answer would be, he was thankful for yet another change in topic. Perhaps now his past would finally stop dancing mockingly in front of his mind's eye. But, judging by how his luck ran today... he figured it would only be a matter of time...

"Yeah, like a yacht. Or, actually, more like a speedboat. Or... I can't really remember, to be honest. But it wasn't a boat I've seen at the harbor before."

"Oh.. I see..." the triangle rubbed at his "chin". Well, this didn't help much in disproving or even proving his thought. There were other boats out there that fit Steven's description. But it had to be _that_ one. He groaned a little, looking towards the door. Bill figured Wendy would call them.

"But I do remember there were three people on the ship. One of them was green or something. That's all I got..." he sighed.

The demon pondered on this, falling silent for a while. Something green... another Gem, maybe? he figured Sixer wouldn't let her be. He clenched his fists. Before, it didn't matter if they came for him, because at that point it would've been too late and he most certainly would have destroyed everything, and everyone, and _definitely_ he would have turned his destruction onto the two elder Pines twins. But now? he was unsure. He stared at his hands, floating over to sit on the edge of the bed, and his mind drifted back on that one word that kept eluding him, and was still eluding him. He just couldn't figure that out, to save his eternal life.

"Bill? whatcha thinking about?" Steven sat up beside him.

The triangle snapped out of his thoughts, and turned his gaze onto Steven. He couldn't tell him what he was previously thinking about, so he decided for the current one, "Well, I'm thinking about that 'e' word again... it's.. confusing... I'm supposed to know so much, and yet I can't get a simple word..."

His frown then deepened, and he actually took off his hat for a while and started fiddling with it.

Steven frowned. "Hmm. Maybe you should just stop thinking about it?" he suggested, a technique that often worked for him.

"Can't... I _need_ to know..." he tightened the grip on the rim of his topper. "You ever wanted to know something, kid? like really bad?"

"Yeah... I get what you mean..." he sighed, thinking about something as well that he really wanted to know. The demon looked at the kid. He frowned a little. He probably had the answer to whatever Steven was thinking. But did Steven have the answer to what he himself was thinking about? he stared at his hat. The triangle now wondered why he treasured it so much. It was, after all, inspired by his father. But it was the one thing the square was actually proud of. Bill felt a little sick inside, and shifted a little bit. He knew he'd think about them again...

"You can't dwell on it forever, Bill," the boy's voice rang out again all of a sudden.

This snapped him out of his little trance, and he looked over at Steven. He sighed, drooping a little and replacing the hat onto his top point, "I know. I know."

"You can't let your problems become who you are..." Steven sighed, staring at his hands, then clenching them.

The triangle, with this, soon realized something, which hit him like a train going one hundred miles per hour. His eye widened, and he began trembling again, "I.. already have..."

Bill grabbed at his arms, squeezing them as he rocked a little on the bed. He muttered, eye still wide, "I've become worse than them... became worse than my parents..."

Steven stared at Bill for a while, before he soon said, "But you're getting better, right?"

The demon stared at Steven for a good, long time. His usually glorious golden color was now pale. He trembled like a leaf in a storm. But he was thinking on this question, checking his inner self too. It was strange, but he wasn't really feeling any compulsions to cause chaos, much less harmful chaos, for right now anyway. And his mind was considerably less insane, and his brow furrowed a little at this, as if confused. How did that happen? and then there were the acts of kindness. He seemed more willing to pull them off. With all this, the answer to the question would be yes, but he wasn't sure. He almost slid back with Connie and Wendy, after all. But wouldn't that be expected? he eventually sighed, and nodded, halting his rocking, "Y...yeah... I guess so.."

"Then you're not worse. You're awesome, you know? you might have made some mistakes but just by making an effort to get better you're fixing them. And that's awesome."

The demon blinked at him, and then slowly smiled, his color restoring itself, "Aww, shucks, kid... thank you..."

And then he did something not even he himself expected. He hugged Steven. Steven was surprised, but almost immediately hugged back. He was so proud...

The demon continued smiling, and tears ran down from his eye, unwittingly. But they were predominately happy tears, in spite of everything. Bill kept up the hug, actually enjoying how it felt now, and closed his watery eye. It was miles above the high the sensation of pain had more often than not given him. And there was an upside—unlike pain, this feeling was sure to last. Steven sighed happily, patting his back, "See? I remember when you wouldn't let me hug you at all. You're not a bad guy, Bill. It's just everything that happened to you that made you think you were." He closed his eyes, smiling.

The golden triangle sighed too, and stopped the flow of tears on a dime. He still couldn't understand this. A lot of the horrible things that happened after he liberated his home dimension were his fault—in fact, he himself _did_ things that would make him a bad guy in the eyes of all societies, even most alien ones. And yet the kid was looking past it and saying he wasn't a bad person? it almost made him laugh and then cry some more, but a little chuckle of bewilderment escaped him. What _was_ that word...? he thought for sure it fit right here, and even then he wasn't sure.

Certain, yet not certain. What an oxymoron.

Bill soon pushed these thoughts aside and answered him, frowning a little now, "I guess..."

Steven hugged him tighter, sighing. "You've probably got a lot on your mind. Can you tell me anything? it could help..." he suggested, before letting go to get a better look at him.

The demon slowly nodded, setting his arms down by his sides, "Sure thing..."

His expression was a lot softer than it had been, like an enormous weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and there was a subtle warm glint in his eye. It made his hellish pupil seem unnatural now. He glanced about the room, trying to figure out where to start. The demon certainly didn't want to go into those horrible things he had done, though. He frowned softly, and decided to ask, "Have you figured out that 'e' word, yet?"

"E...? what about 'empathy'?" Steven asked, frowning. He noticed the change in Bill and smiled.

His eye widened. That was it! but he still seemed unsure about it. Confused, too. He reiterated, raising an eyebrow and tilting himself, hand on his "chin" now, "E..empathy?"

"Being able to relate to people. Like sympathy, but on a more personal level," his smile broadened.

He blinked. Once. Twice. And then... "Oh... I see..."

He still didn't seem to understand though. He'd been so out of touch with it for so long, it was no surprise he'd forgotten how it worked. How it felt. He frowned, staring down at the bed now, "Hm..."

He began wondering if some of those feelings he felt almost since he started staying with Steven was a form of empathy. And, with this, he finally seemed to realize that this was the boy's doing, intentionally or not. He was a bit unsure how to feel about that.

"Empathy... how do I describe it...?" he asked himself, standing and looking around the room for something to help him explain it to Bill. Bill directed his full attention to Steven now, eyebrow raised again. He hoped this would help him. Though he had a feeling he'd have to experience it again. He hummed a bit, thinking on that plan he had developed since Steven freed him from a state of immobile limbo. The plan to backstab him. The demon found himself cringing at it now. He couldn't bring himself to fulfill it anymore. The boy understood him, reached out to him, and helped him more than anyone else ever did and was willing to do, and he started to find that he appreciated that...

..Who was he to spit that back in his face?

Besides, he didn't want a repeat of what happened at the school.

Steven soon found his ukulele and grinned, beginning to strum it, to get a rhythm going. That eyebrow rose even higher. Was he going to sing? well, to be honest, he should've expected this. Steven, after all, was known for breaking out into flash songs. Bill swayed a little to the beat, swinging his legs too.

The boy frowned. "No, that's not quite right..." he went for a different tone, one more upbeat, but not too fast. The demon blinked a little, and began humming along quietly, too quietly.

He changed it up again. "How about..." he finally settled on something, smiling.

The triangle, having cut off his humming, frowned a little as he continued staring at the boy, crossing his arms now and growing a tad impatient, "Well, c'mon now, kid..."

"Sorry, just getting a good rhythm going here!" he tapped his foot to it.

Bill nodded, squeezing his arm now, "Alright then."

And finally...

"When you see someone happy, it makes your spirits oh so tappy!" Steven sung to the ukulele, grinning, ear to ear. "Don't you see now? don't see you now?"

The demon blinked a little bit, but swayed to the song, trying his level best to get this. He wondered when he ever felt like what was described. Perhaps it was when he cooked for the boy?

"When you see someone's sad, it should have you feel bad," Steven kind of danced to the song, stomping his foot, to help with the rhythm. "Don't you see now? don't you see now?"

Bill watched him dance to it, and squeezed his arm again. When had he felt like that recently? he frowned a bit, remembering. The school, and then the boy and Connie yesterday on the beach. But he was still unsure, because he was highly conflicted _both_ those times.

"You reach out, with compassion, to those hurting, no more lashin'," he closed his for a moment, his smile disappearing, and continued, "'Cause pain only makes it worse, and it'll only badly reimburse," he opened his eyes and smiled. "Don't you see now? tell me don't you see now?"

The demon rubbed at his "chin", his pupil a small question mark for only a moment. He was sad that he was right—a song barely helped him fully understand. It only helped him know the assigned name to some of those little feelings. Nothing real or more to it. He sighed, but kept listening. Maybe it was one of those delayed reactions.

"You're tuned in to all those emotions, other people feel," Steven hopped on the bed, not smiling as much, eyes closed again. Bill could probably tell he was really into it. "When they're hurt, you can heal. When they're smiling, you broaden the deal..." Steven jumped back off, opening his eyes and looking, leaning towards Bill, as if legitimately asking him this time, "Don't you see now? don't you see now?" he fell silent for the most part then, still strumming the tune.

The demon took in this last verse, and smiled a little bit, having seen how Steven was so into this song. But it didn't last. He soon frowned again. He still felt little more than what he expected. Which was next to nothing at all. He still could barely get it, and voiced it, "Eh... I don't think I understand, or... _see,_ this, as you say, kid... it seems like an entirely different language from what I'm used to..."

Steven stopped strumming and sighed. "Maybe you just need more time to understand..." he said, putting his ukulele away, shaking his head.

"I.. I guess so.." he sighed too. He drooped a little bit, "I'm sorry."

Steven sighed again, "It's no biggie. I'm going to get some more sleep... can you watch over everything for me?"

Bill nodded, but still wasn't certain that the boy really thought this was okay, "Sure thing, kid."

He floated off the bed, and looked out the window. It wasn't really as sunny as before. In fact, it looked like dark clouds were rolling in. They were still distant though, but he could feel it. Steven bundled himself up in the sheets. With such a long, crazy day, he fell asleep with ease.

* * *

I find this chapter extremely adorable. :3 Ace was Steven, (it was wonderful) and I was Bill. I hope you enjoyed it! Also, I thought up the lyrics myself. Yep, this is an original song for the story, called "Don't You See Now?". :3  
Here's the acapella version. It's the best I can do, but I know some people will be able to modify it and stuff, add music to it. In fact, I'm counting on that. :3 I'm looking for a Steven Universe feel to the song, similar to Here Comes a Thought and Tower of Mistakes, but kind of upbeat, with the main instrument, of course, being a ukulele.  
picosong zgNH  
(Enter it without the spaces.)  
So, yeah. :3 I'll see you next Thursday then! please review, wherever you guys are...


	33. Pink within Black

**A/N:** Sorry for being a day late with this chapter. My laptop was having problems. But they're fixed now! obviously! I want to thank The Golden Dragwolf for reviewing! I couldn't reply because, well, he or she disabled PMs. So thank you. And I'm glad you love this story! or book, as you've said. The show must go on! even if most of all of you are probably dead for some reason...  
Today's also Donald Trump's Inauguration. While I'm not exactly cheering (not that I wanted Hillary to win either), I do wish him the best of luck and am willing to give him a chance. Time to play the wait and see game. So.. without further ado, here's Chapter Thirty-Three!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirty-Three: Pink within Black**

After watching Steven sleep for a little bit, the demon directed his attention to the Warp Pad, his mind brought back to what he saw in the little break of the tunnel. As long as he kept thinking of other things, he'd be fine. The triangle floated over to the teleportation platform, eyebrow raised. Said platform didn't recognize his presence. Of course, he had to figure out how to warp to do it, first.

Bill rubbed at his "chin" again, thinking of how he could do this. He'd heard only Gems or half-Gems could activate these platforms. He supposed even _he_ couldn't, even though he still had a fraction of his power. But the triangle figured something out soon enough. He looked over at the attic, making sure Steven was fast asleep,—and he was—and then dug into his powers, trying to see if he could still shapeshift. Maybe he could trick the Warp Pad...

And he found that he could, in fact, shapeshift. It was a miracle considering everything that happened. The triangle chuckled victoriously as he began changing form into a figure Steven and the rest of the Crystal Gems could recognize, a Gem with only one eye.

Just like him.

"Sapphire" soon appeared from the formerly shapeless light, but instead of the usual dress, he was wearing a sleek black suit. He smirked, looking at the blue gem embedded into his palm, almost admiring it. And it also felt nice having a mouth again. He chuckled, almost evilly. Or, more accurately, it sounded evil. Bipphire stepped onto the Warp Pad, choosing to put aside his marvel for now, or forever depending, and concentrated on activating it, closing his hidden eye.

The Warp Pad chimed, and he was suddenly thrust into the tunnel, sealed where he was safe. To see in between, the warp would have to halt... but that was not safe. If it stopped, it might never start again. The shapeshifted demon chuckled. He knew this would work. He spoke in Sapphire's voice, with a tone in between shame and pride, "Of course my manipulation would extend to Gem machinery... now to halt the process..."

He knew the risks, however, but if Steven, a mere half-Gem, could start it back up, then so could he. Bipphire, having taken a deep, preparing breath, broke his concentration just then, hoping he'd see what he saw before and not something else. Hoping it wasn't who he thought it was. Rose Quartz would probably not be so bad though.

The Warp Stream disintegrated, and he found himself in a black darkness. There was that pink shape again... that figure... no, it was too tall, to be Gabriel. It was so much more human... but how could it be Rose? was this place a part of Steven somehow? or was it where Gems go when they died?

It seemed unlikely, implausible, if not outright impossible.

Yet there she was.

Bill's eye widened underneath the bangs he currently had. He could barely believe this, out of all the things he'd seen. His mouth was wide open, and slightly trembling, with bewildered shock.

She turned to him and gasped, "Bill?"

But it wasn't Rose's voice. Or Rose's face. The figure drifted closer... and it was revealed to be Pyronica. She looked like she had been crying.

And this time the appropriate emotion cropped up. He lost the shock, now that it was revealed not to be Rose. The shapeshifted demon soon narrowed his eye, "You..."

He was, deep down, wondering why she had been crying. But the swelling anger was fighting with it.

"It's you..." she started sobbing, right there, in front of him. "Can you... help me?" she drifted closer towards him. The only problem was that the longer Bill was here, the bigger chance there was he wouldn't be able to leave.

Bill growled a little, trying to ignore the tears, "Why should I? you betrayed me.."

He began to fear the worst, with her and with this location. He felt he'd already been... wherever this was.. far too long. But it was only a few short minutes.

"Please... it'll never happen again... I just... I need to get out of here!" she stared at him, right in the eye. She said this truthfully, desperately, "I'll do anything... just get me out of here, please..."

Bipphire clenched his teeth. Pyronica was being truthful, much to his chagrin. And much to his relief. But he was going to leave her here. Like she deserved.

But then, just as he was about to reactivate the tunnel, all of a sudden, a thought smacked him in the face. What would Steven do instead? his hidden eye widened, as he thought on this for approximately thirty seconds, and he soon huffed, "Fine..."

He reached out for her hand, still glaring at her, still angry, still unwilling. But doing it anyway. She grabbed onto his hand with both of hers, holding it tightly, almost hurting him that way.

"Thank you so much..." she breathed out, threatening to cry again.

Anyone who knew Pyronica knew she didn't just cry on a whim. She was a strong, independent demon, who stood on her own in many battles and decimated the enemy. But now...? she looked like she would never stop crying. What had happened to her in there...?

He flinched at the slight pain, and furrowed his brow, not bothering to return the gratitude. And the thoughts he was having increased. What happened? this wasn't the Pyronica he knew. The bad feeling he had about this place increased as well. They had to get out of here, before whatever happened to her happened to him. So he concentrated once more on opening the tunnel again, still holding her hands, hoping it would work. And then it seemed to flicker—appear and then disappear, until it was a stable vortex, and the dark void around them vanished, drowned out by the light tunnel.

Pyronica was ever grateful for this, holding him just a little tighter though, just to be sure. Bipphire sighed of relief, ignoring how clingy his former second-in-command was behaving, and then willed the tunnel to go the other way, back home. And so they ended up on the Temple Warp Pad. Steven was still fast asleep on the bed upstairs.

And Pyronica still hadn't let go.

The shapeshifted demon glanced at Pyronica, pursing his lips tightly. Perhaps he should've dropped her off at the Galaxy Warp. Or somewhere other than here. But too late now. He groaned inwardly, and sighed, brow still furrowed, adjusting his bowtie, "Can you let go of me now?"

She nodded and let go, but otherwise didn't move. She cowered beneath him, in such a way that told him she was subject to his will. Kinda like Keyhole had, but even more so. Bipphire rolled his eye and stepped off the Warp Pad before he accidentally, or not, reactivated it. He looked down at himself, wondering if he should return to his triangular form. Or should he stay Sapphire for a while longer? it was a tough decision.

She followed him, in silence, waiting to be told what to do. The demon glanced at her, frowning a little. This was so pathetic. And then he thought, again, to himself, _What the hell happened to her in there...?_

He soon stared at his hands again, pushing away that thought once more, and then, after twisting himself a little, at his back, which was covered with really long light blue hair, admiring this form once again. He straightened himself and then pulled at the lips a little bit, grinning despite himself. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to stay like this for a while. At least it wasn't human, despite looking like one.

Pyronica only waited for him to do something. She felt... taboo. She wasn't supposed to be here, not like this. Speaking would be like committing a felony, she thought. So she held her tongue.

Bipphire glanced at her again, frowning now, still tugging at his newfound mouth, "Why don't you take a load off? make yourself comfortable!"

His offer wasn't exactly warm and hospitable though. It sounded a little angry, but to be honest, with a few exceptions of course, who _wouldn't_ be angry? Bipphire then made his way to the attic to check on Steven.

And so she walked over and sat down on the couch, looking down at her feet, as if they were the most interesting things in the world. She trembled, threatening to cry again. But she had recovered some of her strength, it seemed, and thus did not.

Steven was still fast asleep, hugging a stuffed animal. The shapeshifted demon stopped playing with his mouth, and smiled, genuinely, down at the boy. He was reminded of earlier this morning, only the roles were switched, and the kid definitely wouldn't be embarrassed. He again wondered what Steven was dreaming. And then Bipphire spared a frowning glance down at where Pyronica was. He sighed, and then turned his attention back to Steven, watching him sleep, and started softly humming the song the boy had sung to him. Bipphire was making sure he himself cherished it, even if he didn't fully understand it.

Pyronica spoke, suddenly, "I'm sorry," but there was nothing else to it. Not what she was sorry for, or why.

The demon looked back at Pyronica, hidden eyebrow raised, looking a little irritated as he cut off the humming and asked, "About what?"

"Everything," she replied, simply.

Silence... until..

"That's a rather huge category..." Bipphire frowned, stepping away from the bed and towards the staircase.

"For being a traitor," it, again, was simple, but it got straight to the point this time.

The demon's frown deepened, "You really think words will be enough...? and how do I know you aren't just saying that to save your own skin?"

But he knew with a simple mind reading that this wasn't the case. She meant it, albeit on a subservient level. But he just wanted to be surer than sure.

She shuddered. "You... you can't imagine what that place was like... I... I don't... can't go through that again..." she whimpered and curled up a little more.

Bipphire's eye widened, and he soon sighed. His tone softened just a tiny bit, as he asked, "What happened to you in there?"

He walked down the steps after he looked back at Steven to check if he was still asleep. She looked down then. "It's like every bad thing you've ever done, shouted back at you a billion times. Every little mistake. Every failure. You get to see how little you mean to everyone. How little impact you have on the whole multiverse. And you get to see a better you. Someone who didn't make those mistakes. Someone who didn't fail. Someone a billion times better without even trying," she sighed, curling up a little bit more, letting the tears flow again.

"Th..that sounds terrible..." he commented. The old him wouldn't even care, to be honest. But now... he soon sighed, _Hoo boy, that kid..._

He felt conflicted again. Should he be happy? should he be agitated? angry? ...sad? he shook his head, choosing to let this go for now, to focus on Pyronica. She sniffled, "It makes you face everything in the worst light possible. It makes you suffer for real."

"Uhm... I'm... sorry?" he said, unsure. He thought of those lyrics again. Some of them sure fit this situation. But he didn't know quite what to do. Was this empathy? he barely felt it anyway, despite knowing the definition of suffering. It was there, but it was quiet. He somewhat wished Steven was awake right now. He didn't know what to do. What should he do? Bipphire just stood there, awkwardly, fidgeting in the midst of all these thoughts, in front of the couch on which Pyronica was sitting. Pyronica sighed and lay down, ignoring him now. It wasn't like he really understood. No, he'd have to experience it himself...

..something she did not wish for him.

The demon growled all of a sudden, growing angry that he couldn't figure this out, and exited the Beach House before he started shouting and raving, on the balcony, trying to get it all out. Since he was Sapphire at the moment, it would be extremely odd if someone saw or caught him. He knew the short blue Gem was known for her collected calm, and this definitely wasn't it.

Steven decided to wake up at that moment. He frowned, getting up sleepily and looking around the room, and the house, "Bill?"

Instead he saw the strange pink lady. He was so tired he mistook her for Lion, and went back to bed. But he couldn't shake the feeling something was off here. And then Bill walked back in, calm now. It was like his rant never happened. He saw a glimpse of Steven, his back at least, and froze, eye wide. He didn't get the idea to change back to his triangular form, however, instead changing the black suit to the usual blue dress. He seemed that confused, and so unwilling to go back to having no apparent mouth. But was it worth tricking Steven, who already missed the Gems so much?

He couldn't answer that right now.

Pyronica had fallen asleep, so it seemed. But she was also whispering under her breath, too faint for Steven to catch. Plus he thought she was Lion still. Steven didn't see Bill, or, rather, Sapphire. He was staring up at the ceiling, trying to figure out what was wrong here.

Bipphire wrestled with his growing conscience, walking quietly in the direction of the kitchen. What should he do here? should he change back? or should he remain? what should he do or say if he got discovered like this? the answers to those questions usually would come to him in a snap, but not anymore, all because of this stupid empathy thing. And it was all Steven's fault...!

He nearly froze again, eye widening.

No. No, it wasn't. But he had to blame something or someone.

Himself?

He groaned inwardly.

Steven soon realized he wasn't going to get any more sleep. So he might as well eat something. He got up and headed down to the kitchen. The shapeshifted demon heard footsteps heading his way, and started cursing to himself. That was Steven coming. He couldn't face the boy like this, especially since he felt for the moment emotionally, and rationally, unwell, vulnerable, and unstable. What the _hell_ should he do?

He looked around and soon saw a floor cabinet, and sweatdropped. Well, there was an idea, even though he wouldn't be comfortable exactly. He opened the cabinet and climbed in, shrinking himself so he could fit amongst the items within, and then closed the door.

* * *

 **A/N:** I dunno why, but I found the latter part of this chapter funny. But it's up to you. I hope you enjoyed! Ace played Steven, and a returning character, Pyronica! surprise surprise, eh? lots of surprises! and I had Bill, as usual. :3  
So I'll see you next Thursday! and, if you have a review to send my way, _**PLEASE DO.**_ I'm desperate for discussion.


	34. Shame

**A/N:** AppleSpongeCake is back! wooooo! I was getting so worried! now for the rest of you! but, moving on from that, I would like to thank all you who favorited and followed me and/or this story! I REALLY appreciate it! and I hope the link to the song worked properly. It took out the "com", I noticed. ._.

But I digressed! enjoy this new chapter~

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirty-Four: Shame**

Steven soon made himself a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He glanced over at the couch while eating, frowning. Still trying to figure out what was wrong. It felt like it had to do with Lion...

Bipphire sat down silently and curled up a little bit, hugging his knees and closing his eye. He felt so overwhelmed. So conflicted again. He wanted Steven's help, but at the same time he didn't want to be any more vulnerable than he had been recently. And he was still Sapphire. He quietly choked on a sob, hugging his knees even tighter. Steven finished his sammich and then it came to him—Lion wasn't that shade of pink. He realized this was the pink lady from the school. He hadn't seen her at the Zodiac Temple... but through Gabe's eyes. He forced himself to remember, even though he hated those memories. Even though they felt... evil. And he remembered her being bubbled and sent somewhere else. Here? then why didn't he see her when he walked in?

Steven sighed. He decided he'd figure this all out when Bill came back, and went upstairs to his bed. Bipphire waited until it was clear, and then opened the cabinet and stepped out, still rather small. He closed it back, nearly hyperventilating. This was nuts. He shouldn't be acting like this. He wasn't used to this. He _needed_ Steven.

He opened his mouth to call for him, but his mind immediately stopped it, _No! don't call him! you're not well, Willia—Bill!_

Great. Now his past was on him again. Just what he needed. Tears bubbled in his eye, but he made them evaporate. Bipphire exited the kitchen, still tiny, heading in the direction of the bathroom, hoping to whoever was up there that Steven didn't notice him.

But, as if the universe hated Bill, Steven, of course, did.

"Hey, Sapphire!" he called out, smiling. Of course, that didn't make sense. And then the solution to all of this occurred to him: he was in a dream. No wonder he couldn't go back to sleep. Bipphire froze in mid-step, but this allowed him to recompose himself.

He turned to Steven, and greeted him how Sapphire would, "Hello, Steven."

He realized the boy was thinking this was a dream, so it lifted yet another weight off of him and put the majority of his thoughts on this. The demon, greatly relieved, restored his size, and calmly started walking to the attic, smirking slightly.

"So, what are you doing here?" he sat better in his bed, excited at the thought of talking to Sapphire again, even if it was just a dream.

"I just decided to come and visit, check on you," the shapeshifted demon kept smiling, and soon he reached the attic, walking the way Sapphire would walk instead of the more confident strides he'd taken in this form, "though I knew you'd be doing okay."

That only made him smile, "Thank you..."

"You're very welcome, Steven..." Bipphire's smile broadened. But inwardly, he was starting to feel bad. He was manipulating Steven right now, just so he could stay in this form a while longer, and he felt nothing but shame.

"Everything's so weird here. I really wish you or any of the other Gems were here. I've been having so many dreams with Lapis, where she's been suffering. I would go look for her... but I can't do that on my own."

The shapeshifted demon frowned softly. He knew he was responsible for the first one the boy had since he washed up here. He then sat down beside Steven, crossing his legs, "I think everything will be alright soon enough. They'll fall into place. You just have to believe they will."

He started fidgeting slightly, growing uncomfortable. He was starting to figure out what his answers to those two questions he asked himself were. He just had to find the right time to bail.

"Thanks, Sapphire... but that's not it.." he trailed off, hoping she'd know. Because he didn't. He knew something else was off. Even in this dreamlike state.

"What is it then?" Bipphire asked, eyebrow raised. He was slipping. He knew it. It was only a matter of time before Steven found out, and he was prepared for the hell it'd probably unleash.

"I... I shared minds with a demon. It was like fusion... but I had no control. I was forced to do horrible things... until I realized I did have control. I let my friend get hurt without stopping. In fact, I made them get hurt..." Steven sighed. "Maybe it was just being like that. But everything's different now, it seems."

The shapeshifted demon froze, breath hitching, and he muttered the culprit's name. He looked down at the floor, remembering the fight and the wounds inflicted, both emotional and physical. Tears bubbled in his eye then, and he was thankful it was hidden by his luscious light blue hair. He finally spoke, almost slipping into his normal voice, "I'm sorry that happened to you... but you didn't mean any of that... did you? you didn't mean for B.. your friend.. to get hurt."

He sighed, "I don't know, really... it's all just a big strange blur. I was him and he was me. I didn't understand it... and I still don't."

Bipphire twitched. He didn't know how to answer that. He evaporated the tears once more, and finally replied, "Strange indeed..."

He didn't know how much longer he could keep up this charade. But he was getting interesting information. This was an upside to manipulation. But he still felt shame.

Steven sighed, "You know anything about all this, Sapphire? any advice or anything?"

"Hmm..." he hummed a little in thought. Garnet herself, or Sapphire herself, would be able to answer this question better. But he would be able to as well if he wasn't feeling so out of it. So he finally decided, and said, "First off, I need you to prepare for what I'm about to tell you, Steven... promise me you won't get mad."

"I promise," he nodded, smiling.

Bipphire sighed out of relief, "Thank you..." and then he said, bluntly, his own voice underlying Sapphire's, "this isn't a dream, kid."

"Isn't... a dream?" he lost the smile. "Then what about the strange pink lady?"

"She's real, just as everything was when you woke up. And her name is Pyronica," Bipphire parted his bangs, revealing his blue eye, which soon morphed into the hellish pupil he always had. But it was sad. He sighed, "I saw her in the breakage of the Warp Stream, and brought her here by forming into Sapphire. I didn't want to change back because it felt nice having an actual mouth and I'm sorry."

He grabbed his arms like a brace, and shut his eye, preparing for something bad. It was like he reverted to his childhood mentality.

"...That's okay," Steven decided. "Just... forget about everything I said." He felt betrayed. Bill kept it up until Steven had said everything... whilst Steven was sure he was in the safety of a dream.

The demon felt bad. Even though he was safe, Steven sure didn't feel safe anymore. He sighed, reopening his eye partway, and began chewing himself out under his breath, kicking himself for this. Bill abandoned the form once and for all, shivering in his golden triangular frame. This empathy business was becoming bad for his health. Was this how Steven felt all the time? ...he soon sighed, finally saying something, still hugging himself, "No. It's not okay. I manipulated you. Took advantage of you for my own gain. I feel ashamed... h..how can I make this up to you?"

Steven said nothing to Bill, lying down on his side now, not facing him. Maybe he was asleep. Bill blinked, and sighed again, continuing to talk, "Th...the house is fine, by the way... I watched over it, just like you asked..."

Tears once again appeared in his eye, but he made no attempt to get rid of them this time. Steven curled up a little more, and finally spoke, "I... I thought I had finally gotten through to you..."

His eye widened just then. "Y..you did... I... I just... it's... hard, when you've been something for so long..." the tears fell, and he shuddered, drooping slightly, "I.. I'm sorry... if it helps, I didn't want this... and I felt bad..."

This was his fault. He should've seen this through. Kept it up until he could actually bail and come back as himself, just like he first had in mind. Why didn't he? why couldn't he? was this what empathy was like? he didn't know whether to like it or hate it, but he was coming close to hating it again. He hated how it felt like a thousand questions about how best to care for people ran like speeding, runaway freight trains through his mind. He hated how it ate him up inside whenever he did something wrong or failed to properly care for another person, one way or another. But maybe that was just because he wasn't used to it? he didn't know. All he knew was that he wanted it to stop.

Steven sighed. "It's okay. We all make mistakes..." he thought of his own. All the mistakes he had made, being too careless. He sighed and hugged Bill from the back. And then he let go.

Bill stiffened slightly, and more tears fell, "Y...you sure, kid...? you seemed pretty torn up..."

This was killing him. He glanced out the window again. The clouds were a lot closer this time, and faint thunder could be heard in the distance. He was starting to feel something he hadn't really felt for a long time.

"I'm sure. I wouldn't say so otherwise... just forget about everything that I said, okay?" this time he smiled. "And can you tell me something?"

The demon nodded. It would be hard to forget, so he just wouldn't bring it up again. He smiled back, albeit weakly, just then, the tears slightly evaporating, "Yeah..? what is it that you wish to know...?"

"Pyronica. She wasn't at the Temple with all the other demons. Where did Gabe send her...?" Steven was just mildly curious—she hadn't said a word to anyone about anything as long as he had been awake.

He blinked, thinking on this for a while. And then all of a sudden he remembered. It was all flashes of images, but he remembered. His eye widened, and he whispered, "The Void..."

"The Void? what's that?" Steven frowned.

"It's... where I had sent Gabriel during the incident with my parents.. y'know..." he sighed, rubbing at his eye gingerly. "He was there ever since... so much so he must have considered it home. It's a dark place. Literally and metaphorically. It used to be just a physical prison... but it seems as if my adopted brother made it into an emotional one as well..."

Bill glanced over at where Pyronica was still lying. He shuddered. He was so glad he'd gotten her and himself out of that place before it got to him. He'd suffered a hell of a lot more, and the Void would have increased that a billion-fold. The demon shuddered again.

Steven stared. "Oh... what happened to her in there...?" he glanced at her too, biting his lip.

"It pretty much reminds you of every mistake you've ever made, every failure, and then shows you a perfect version of yourself," he explained what Pyronica told him in his own words, simplified so that Steven could understand. "It enhances your suffering a billion times over. It's basically depression up to eleven, and maybe more."

"Oh... wow... that sounds really horrible..." he was freaked out for a second.. Because that sounded so familiar to him. He yawned and sighed, "I... I think I'm going to go to bed again."

Bill raised an eyebrow at the boy, confused, "This is like the third time already, kid... did those events really tire you out this much?"

"No. I just don't like thinking about everything that's going on right now. It tires me out," he fell back onto the bed. "Good night."

"Uh, night then..." Bill frowned slightly. It was still in the middle of the afternoon, for Pete's sake. He got up and floated over to the sad bunny again, still staring at Steven curiously. Even with his conscience growing back, this boy was still pretty unpredictable...

* * *

 **A/N:** I hope you enjoyed it! Ace was a wonderful Steven here... and I was Bill Cipher. As usual. Tell me your thoughts please. They'll help. They'll help me know that you're still alive and well! and I would love some discussions. So, yeah. See ya next Thursday unless you wanna drop a review!


	35. A Mere Fragment

**A/N:** I got kinda lazy yesterday, SOOOO here's Chapter, uhhh... Chapter Thirty-Five, right now! when you finish this chapter, I'm going to bring up something else I want you all to do, if you're able. But here's Chapter THIRTY-FIVE, HERE TO TAKE THE SHOW AWAY FROM ME!

 **WARNING** : More tissues will probably be needed.

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirty-Five: A Mere Fragment**

Steven found himself reliving something—he was in front of the Gems, feeling incredibly angry and frowning. He shouted at them, "It's never about what I want! now I have a place where I can go, and you can't follow me!"

He remembered entering his mother's room for the first time. It horrified him. But now he knew how it worked, so it was fine. He raced into the room. The pink clouds everywhere welcomed him. He grinned, and ran off them.

"Parachute!" he called, and one formed, making his descent slower. But there were no clouds beneath him. Only an endless darkness. He looked up, and found it was the same. Just darkness forever. And his parachute was gone.

He could hear something. A voice...?

 _"You belong to me now..."_ it whispered, and he knew it was the Void. He knew because he had been here before. He knew because this was his memory now. Even if he ignored it. That energy had to go somewhere...

And then he woke again for real, shaking all over, whimpering. Bill's eye was wide. He was watching Steven the whole time, currently huddled with the stuffed animal he previously didn't want to be seen with—or any stuffed animal, for that matter. He'd watched the boy get increasingly distressed. If only he could still see dreams. So he asked, "What's wrong, kid? what happened?"

"N-nothing... hold on. I have to check something..." he stood and went to the Temple Gate. It opened, revealing that pink glow. He glanced at Bill, just once, before going in. After a minute, he came back out. He looked relieved as he climbed the stairs again, and announced, "E-everything's fine."

Except it wasn't. The Gems weren't here, and now he was becoming someone he wasn't. He couldn't talk to anybody about it, and he couldn't sleep, with all the nightmares he'd been having, yet he hated every waking moment, with some new stuff going on. He almost wished Bill had never shown up. And then he erased that almost after realizing Bill was the source of all his newfound problems, if indirectly. All _their_ newfound problems, too.

Bill felt these thoughts, and his eye widened. He was close to tears again. He tightened his hold on the sad bunny. He hated this, being so sensitive. But the boy's thoughts were right. None of this would have happened if he never washed up on Beach City, and just overall stayed a statue. Everything in the world would be right if he just didn't exist. He was reminded of his parents just then, what they often implied. And it killed him even more. He whispered weakly, "I'm sorry..."

He almost didn't catch Steven's addendum. But by that point it was already too late. Steven heard and noticed this and hugged the triangle, saying nothing. Sometimes it was better just not to say anything. He couldn't talk about any of this. And he didn't want to. He felt that would only make the problem worse. Bill couldn't even hug the boy back. He felt cold. Like ice had frozen his veins. Like he couldn't even feel anything anymore. That and he was still holding the bunny. He kept crying, silently. The clouds had finally rolled in at this point, and it was only a matter of time before it started pouring down.

Pyronica sighed really loudly, out of nowhere, and stood. She walked up the stairs. She announced, "Are you two alright? you sound like you're dying or something."

Not only that, she could read both of their minds, and dreams, in Steven's case. Bill suddenly recomposed himself, drying the tears, making Steven let him go and dropping the stuffed animal. But he knew he couldn't lie. So he said, crossing his arms and trying to look tough again, "No, we're... not alright."

"Well, it's always good to be honest about that sort of thing. Just explain what's wrong." That spell of feeling horrible seemed to have evaporated. Pyronica was smiling, just a little. Not a smirk, but a helpful, gentle smile. She wanted to help.

"Don't you already know...?" the demon asked, confused. He saw that smile, and grew even more confused. That time in the Void must have really changed her. He glanced at Steven, wanting him to explain this time. But the boy remained awfully quiet, and awfully somewhat still.

"Yeah, but talking it out will help. Trust me..." she frowned a little.

He sighed, "Okay... well, I'm overwhelmed. Steven's overwhelmed. He's dealing with.. whatever it is he's dealing with, and I..." he stopped all of a sudden. He felt himself get smaller, not literally of course. The demon finally spoke again, "I'm dealing with these godforsaken childhood memories... this empathy thing... and other crap."

Talking it out barely helped, he found. But he supposed it was better than keeping it inside. However, talking it out also made him think about it. Which was something he _didn't_ want to do.

"It's okay. There's no due date for understanding all this stuff. Empathy is something you get over time, Bill. It's not going to take just a few days, or even a week. It's a lifelong thing," Pyronica smiled again.

He nodded, "I.. I get that much... I guess... but it literally feels like a tree is growing inside me... and trains going a hundred miles per hour in my head. It.." he squeezed his arms, "it doesn't feel good... I'm trying, but it... it's tough..."

The triangle glanced at the boy again, wondering why he was so quiet.

"True. But you have to admit it's better than not caring at all, right?"

Steven was staring at the floor. He was... well, he was looking at all these new memories he had. Memories of the Void. Memories of Bill. Young Bill. A Bill he had never met. Yet he had. It was so strange... the way he could be someone he was and wasn't at the same time.

Bill stared at the floor too, "I .. I guess so. My mind seems open to other possibilities I would have never considered otherwise..."

He looked up at Pyronica and smiled a little, and then touched Steven's hand, trying to keep the boy grounded in reality, trying to comfort him. This seemed like the right thing to do. His newfound conscience wasn't chewing him out, at least. But it would take a while for him to really feel it. For right now, he was just emulating what the boy had done for him.

"It's weird for all of us, being like this. You and me and... him," for all of Pyronica's mind reading, she didn't know Steven's name, it seemed. Or, more accurately, she forgot. Which was understandable.

Steven saw something. Bill complaining about something. Gabriel getting what he wanted. The pleasure of seeing his brother suffer like that. Because he was a lowly triangle, and he was a mighty star. Steven broke himself out of that, and stood up again. He ran to the bathroom and locked the door behind him. Now it wasn't safe to even think anymore.

"Steven?" he blinked, unknowingly answering Pyronica's mental question, as he watched him leave. The triangle got up and levitated after him, growing concerned. Pyronica watched in silence, sadly. She was like Sapphire—she knew, already, what was going to occur here.

Steven did not respond, just sat there, shivering, thinking of all the horrible thoughts that were suddenly his. _Lowly triangle. Mighty star._

He didn't get it, but at the same time, it made so much sense. He was a star, of course. That was the Crystal Gem symbol, the star. And he had one on his shirt, too. On all his shirts.

"Kid..?" Bill rattled the doorknob. He knew he could mess with and break the locking mechanism, just like he had done with the school, but he didn't want to do that now. So he simply stayed right there outside the door, and said, "Wanna talk this out..? it might help..."

"I... I don't have anything to say to you!" he shouted. He had been looking in the mirror when he said that. He wished he hadn't been. He wished he didn't sound like that... even if it was only for a sentence. He hated that voice.

The demon froze. He immediately pulled away from the doorknob. He gave up, "Um... okay, kid..."

Something was wrong here. _Incredibly_ wrong. He couldn't put a finger on it yet, because he again still felt like a, thankfully slower at the moment, train station, but he was close. Steven couldn't look away from his reflection. He had seen those eyes before. But that time, he hadn't been in his body.

"An exorcism. We're going to have to perform an exorcism," said Pyronica, suddenly behind Bill. "Kinda ironic, isn't it?"

And with this Bill finally realized exactly what was going on. The triangle suddenly chuckled, but it was mirthless. He saw it too, and said, "Yeah, _very_."

 _Only, how do we go about doing this? I don't think Steven's gonna come willingly at this point..._ he set the psychic link to only be between the two of them.

 _I don't know. You might talk some sense to him,_ she shrugged, and sighed a little. _Do you have any idea how this happened? that might also be the key to fixing it, without anything as drastic as exorcism._

Steven frowned a little. Now only one eye was like that. One eye was normal, and one wasn't. But that was okay. That's how he felt right now anyway. Bill nodded, frowning, _Yes... Gabriel had absorbed Steven's powers. And when defeated those powers were returned. The boy must have also absorbed some of the star's essence..._

This explanation left a sour taste behind. But, at least, according to Pyronica, it could be reversed. And he probably _could_ talk to Steven. But he was afraid he'd make it worse. Like he did for almost everything else. He sighed.

 _If we could take that essence out and put it in something else... a simple exorcism won't work for this. It's not like Steven is being possessed by Gabriel—he's dead and gone. Only his personality and memories are left. If we exorcised Gabriel out, we'd also have to put him somewhere. Even then, he'd only be fragments of who he was. And it might be too late for that anyway... oh, this is so complicated..._ Pyronica was getting stressed out just thinking it out like this.

And apparently so was Bill by simply listening.

 _Ugh..._ he groaned, _I'll try and talk to him then... in the meantime, find something in which we can contain the essence._

 _I'll figure something out,_ she then began to look around.

Bill nodded, and then turned back to the door, and knocked this time, "Hey, kid? you there, buddy?"

"Buddy"... did he really just call him that? man, had he changed...

"Y-yeah?" Steven called, though he also didn't want to. He wanted to shout at Bill again, too.

"Oh, good," the demon sighed of relief. "Can I come in?"

Steven came over and unlocked the door. "Yeah, go ahead," but walked back over to the mirror. He didn't want Bill to see, so he didn't face the door.

The triangle opened the door and floated in, closing it magically behind him. Regardless of Steven's attempt to hide this from him, he knew anyway. He sighed, "Thanks, kid... you're gonna be alright, you know?"

"Yeah," the boy replied. He felt if he said too much more, something bad would happen. He hated this. Hated how he felt like an unstable time bomb.

"Good.." Bill felt somewhat awkward. They _were_ pretty much cooped up in the bathroom. He gave the boy a quick pat on the shoulder, but that was pretty much it. He kept trying to think up something to say, but kept tearing down everything he thought of down.

Steven felt the same way. Everything he thought of was wrong. Lowly triangle. He still couldn't get that thought out of his head. He hummed quietly, _Maybe I should show him..._

Bill rubbed at his top point, glancing about the room now. He couldn't say a thing still, and he felt the train station speed up. The triangle groaned inwardly. And then Steven turned around and looked at Bill with those mismatched eyes.

"You're... you're going to have to do better than that to get rid of me!" he grinned, eye twitching, and tossed some shields at Bill. The demon yelped, somewhat caught off guard, and barely managed to put up his own shield to deflect each one, though again the barrier wobbled with every impact. He really didn't want the room to get destroyed. He also didn't want to hurt Steven. And some growing part of him, deep down, actually _wanted_ to get hit...

 _Oh my gosh! Pyronica!_ he pushed this aside and opened the link again. _Have you found anything yet?!_

 _Yes, I have. Want me to come in?_

Steven stopped himself, stepping back. "Stop doing this to me!" he began to cry.

 _Now would be nice, thank you!_ and then he dropped the barrier and hugged Steven, whispering, "It's gonna be okay. We're gonna help you..."

"No! stay back! I don't want to hurt you!" a bubble formed, expanding from Steven, pushing Bill away. The demon frowned at this, steadying himself in the air. The boy curled up inside of it, shuddering.

Pyronica soon entered the room, with nothing in her hands, and closed the door. But she looked confident, _You know how to do an exorcism? we're going to base it loosely off a normal one, but, of course, trapping what's left of your brother somewhere else._

Bill turned to Pyronica. He raised an eyebrow when he saw she wasn't carrying anything, but decided to just roll with it, _Yeah... I do... surprisingly.. but I_ _ **do**_ _know many things._

Steven's bubble became smaller. He glanced at Pyronica. She stared at him in pity. _Alright. Do we have everything we need? or can you just magic it all up? or maybe you could tell me and I could do it._

 _Oh, yeah. I kinda forgot I had magic..._ the demon frowned, and then summoned a tempered glass container. _The exorcism ritual is in some warped form of Latin. I'm hoping it doesn't do anything to us, but we should be safe since we aren't inhabiting a body at the moment..._

She nodded, "Right."

The bubble popped. Steven looked up at them, "You can't take me out of here! I belong here, this is my body!"

"Oh no..." Pyronica gasped, "they're getting even more intertwined inside of him. We could just let this settle, and see how it goes... but that's as risky as this exorcism. There's a big possibility he could end up insane because of this. We need to do this now—or never."

"I'm not willing to let even a fragment of Gabriel survive within my friend any longer than he has," Bill's frown deepened, and he clenched the enclosed vase-like container more tightly, but was careful not to break it. "We'll have to risk it... hopefully it'll turn out alright..."

"Alright," she nodded. "And if you intend to trap Gabriel in there, it's not going to work. What's left of Gabriel is not physical, but mental. Thus we need a vessel to trap him in. Ideally something like a baby, but we don't have time for that. So..." she took a deep breath," I'm going to make sure Gabriel stays trapped in the Void for good this time," she finished, releasing the breath she was holding. She was ready.

The demon then grinned, and let vanish the container he had. He had no idea why he didn't think of the Void. But he soon realized the implications, and his eye widened, "Wait.. what do you have planned..?"

"I'm going to seal him inside my own mind, and go into the Void while I still have control. Now, come on. We have to do this before it gets any worse," she went up to Steven, who had been alternating his gaze between Bill and Pyronica, eye twitching every now and then.

Bill took a deep breath, and sighed, rubbing at his eye, "Alright then... I suppose there's no other way. Let's do it then."

He knew Pyronica would have had to leave some way or another. He just didn't think this would be the way she left, and he didn't want this either... but all for his friend. Hehe, "friend"...

"But Bill... you have to promise me... that you won't ever open the Void again. You have to blast it away. Destroy it. Make it so no one can ever escape again," she stared into his eye, with her own, waiting for confirmation before she continued.

Bill's eye was wide again. He wondered if he had enough power to do that. He also didn't want to let go. But he nodded anyway, "Of course, Pyronica... I'll do that. And, by the way, I forgive you... and thank you..."

She hugged him,—just a quick, short hug—before she turned to Steven, who had still been watching them in silence. A bubble formed around him just then. He then gloated, "You can't do anything to me when I'm like this! ha! ha!"

The demon then frowned at half-Geven, and then all of a sudden grinned, changing his form to Sapphire again, with the black tuxedo, "Of course we can, Gabe! I suggest you take it like the 'mighty star' you are."

Those were fighting words. He glared at Bill, for a second, and his normal eye seemed to flash between starry and normal, just for a second. He was getting even worse... he scoffed then, "You think I'm stupid enough to fall for that? wow, _William_ , I really thought a 'lowly triangle' like you would know better!"

And then Bipphire did the unexpected. Instead of getting sad or angry like he had done previously, he _laughed_. And then he said, "You wanna know something, _brother_? a little bird taught me that I'm not a problem child to anyone anymore. He taught me that I'm great, even though I was supposedly low on the hierarchy. It's a shame you ended up believing differently. We could have stayed good friends."

He chuckled, "You know that little bird is as good as dead, right?"

"I don't think he is," the demon frowned now. "In fact, I _know_ he isn't."

He glanced at Pyronica, but Geven wouldn't be able to tell. Neither would the flame lady, actually. Geven crossed his arms, "Oh yeah? what makes you so sure? wouldn't he be back by now? wouldn't he _pop this bubble_?" but his eye was still switching back and forth, in an extremely odd fashion.

Bipphire smirked, "Oh, yeah, he would. I have faith in the boy. He's pretty insidious in his own way. He's looking for a way to strike right now, I bet."

And then he laughed in that chaotic way of his, but it sounded prouder than necessarily evil.

"Nah. He's not. _I'm_ not... boy, is it strange being two entities at once!"

The demon furrowed his brow, crossing his own arms now, "I can imagine..." and then started appealing to Steven, "hey, kid. I know you can hear me in there. You're not some meat puppet, are ya? you're human, with feelings. Are you really just going to let my brother step all over them?"

"You know that won't—" and then the bubble suddenly fizzled out. Geven was extremely caught off guard by this. Pyronica took her chance. She jumped at him, pinning him down to the ground and digging her fingers into the sides of his head. She closed her eyes and began the process, murmuring the incantation, Geven yelling all the while.

Bipphire grinned, and it was a proud one. He opened the bathroom door and started jogging to the Warp Pad so he'd get a head start on this. Something had told him Steven would be too tired to activate it himself. Hence the return of Sapphire.

Pyronica had some major steps to accomplish. First, she had to detach Gabriel from Steven. And then she had to transfer him to herself. Which proved to be even more challenging than she thought. To do this, she had to leap into Steven's mind and disconnect them that way. She slashed through their connections, one by one, as fast as she could. She had to be fast. And then she arrived at the last one—the last string connecting Gabriel and Steven.

Steven was waiting there, floating, for her. He spoke, "You don't have to do this, Pyronica. I can change him... I can control him!" the boy smiled a little, but it was slightly sad. "I mean, I did it with Bill... besides, you wouldn't have to go away or do this. Everything could be great..."

Pyronica considered this. Only for a few seconds. "No. It's too dangerous."

"It's my mind, isn't it? shouldn't I get to decide?" he asked, putting his hands on his hips. She paused again, thinking. Bipphire was waiting for them, or at least Pyronica, at the Warp Pad at this point, fidgeting with his hands and feeling somewhat anxious. He looked towards the bathroom every now and then, every few seconds, biting his lip.

"No," Pyronica finally said. "This is not your business. This should have never happened to you to begin with, and it's my fault, anyway, so I'm going to fix it," she vowed, and cut the last strand.

The floating Steven's eyes widened, and he flickered forms—between his and Gabriel's. She knew what she had to do...

She launched herself at him, hugging him tight, and exited Steven's mind. She blinked twice just then, in real life letting go of Steven, who had gone unconscious during the process. She had done it. Now she just had to get to the Warp Pad...

* * *

 **A/N:** This was quite the lengthy chapter, wasn't it? I hope it was worth it! I couldn't split it at all! so, yeah. WOOOOOOOOO WHAT A SHOW, RIGHT?! such wham, much wow. I hope you enjoyed this! so... Ace was Steven, Gabriel, and Pyronica. I took Bill. XD One is the loneliest nu - heh, no. I actually don't mind. XD So yeah. Leave your thoughts, lengthy preferably. X3  
So.. here's what I want you to do..

Remember that song Steven (Ace) sang to Bill in Chapter Thirty-Two? well, it's gonna be about that. I thought up the lyrics myself. It's called _Don't You See Now?_.  
Here's the link to the song once more: picosong com zgNH  
If it doesn't appear properly, picosong zgNH. Add the slashes and periods and stuffz.  
However, it's acapella at the moment. It's the best I can do, but I know some people will be able to modify it and stuff, add music to it. In fact, I'm counting on that. :3 So I want you all to try and turn this acapella into a song. Digital instruments would be appreciated, because I'm looking for a Steven Universe feel to the song, similar to _Here Comes a Thought_ and _Tower of Mistakes_ , but kind of upbeat, with the main instrument, of course, being a ukulele.  
Good luck, you all! and I'll see you next Thursday!


	36. Everything is Different Now

**A/N:** WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE; I'm here with Chapter Thirty-Six! I hope you're ready! because, well would ya look at that? here's some more Wham. Prepare yourself.

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirty-Six: Everything is Different Now...**

Bipphire was tapping his foot, frowning softly. He'd been pacing for a while. Or it just seemed like a while. He wondered what was taking so long. Pyronica stumbled out of the bathroom, finally. And then grabbed onto something.

"No! I won't let you do this!" yelled Gabe's frantic voice. "C'mon, just let me stay! like Steven said, I can change!" he then laughed a little, but Pyronica didn't give up, still trying to run over to the Warp Pad.

The shapeshifted demon rushed over and helped her, saying nothing to Gabriel. He had nothing else to say to him.

"Wait, wait, wait! I can do better! I promise, I could!" Gabriel soon lost his grip and found himself being dragged to the Warp Pad. He looked at Bill, pleading, "What about all that talk about changing? I could... I could do that! I could... I could change!"

"Hm..." Bill acted as if he was considering, but he in fact wasn't. And then he asked, "How do I know you aren't just saying that to save what's left of your skin?"

They were almost to the Warp Pad, just inches away. He was prepared for this. He just had to do it while he was. While he was strong. Gabriel didn't have a good answer for that. He sighed, "Maybe I am. But you wouldn't know unless you gave me another chance. I know I've done really terrible twisted stuff. But it's different now, isn't it...?" he stared up at Bill. "You wouldn't just banish me again, would you...?"

Bipphire all of a sudden stopped, just as he was about to step on the Warp Pad. He realized he had done terrible, _horrible_ , things too, but Steven had given him chance. After chance. After chance. Until he was the way he was now. And even then he had a long way to go. Perhaps... _maybe_... he could pull a Steven. He'd be _way_ more successful at it now that he seemed to understand empathy a little more. He only hoped it wouldn't be another painful mistake...

The demon sighed too, and glared at his possessed second-in-command, still holding tight onto him. He whispered darkly, "If you make me regret this, I swear to God..." and then he chuckled bitterly, "no, not even _He_ would be able to help you..."

Gabriel nodded. "I... I understand. But... can I just have my own form? this is really exhausting, sharing forms with people... especially when they're so _different_..."

"I'm not sure if I'm strong enough as of yet to do that for you..." the former triangle frowned. Gabriel right now reminded him so much of his new friend, in a way. He stepped away from the Warp Pad, but didn't change back quite yet. He was still cautious. Incredibly.

"Maybe, uh, you and Pyronica could pool your powers to do that? ...please?" he asked, kinda shrinking away from the polite word. But he had said it.

Bipphire sighed. He still had a feeling he was making a horrible mistake. That something was wrong. But, in a way, he felt kinda good, sparing someone like this, and also saving another. He wondered if this was how Steven felt all the time. He pushed away these thoughts soon enough, and nodded, letting go of Pyronica, finally. He abandoned the form again, and started charging up energy. The energy that would have been used to destroy the Void.

"I've never actually done this before... procreation, in a way, I guess. Isn't it strange how the universe works?" Gabriel seemed a lot more sensible now. One might wonder how that had happened.

And Bill Cipher was indeed wondering. He decided he'd go check up on Steven after this. If he didn't pass out from using such massive energy, that is. He soon replied, watching the growing ball of light form in front of him, "I guess so..." and then he chuckled, still bitterly, "I used to think it was a hologram..."

"It was, you know. Because you had never been in it," Gabriel frowned a little, still trying to figure out why he felt so weird. He decided to pool Pyronica's power into the light orb too, making it grow bigger as well.

"Huh... so my insane ramblings were, for the most part, correct..?" his eye was wide a little bit, but it was clear he was growing tired. "Whoddathunk it...?"

The orb got bigger and bigger, but they still weren't done. Gabriel grunted, "You don't think Pyronica will be mad about this, will ya? I kinda had to... uh... disconnect her. For the meantime. I'll fix that, though."

"Oh, she'll be mad... definitely..." the triangle chuckled, this time nervously. It didn't seem that much bitter anymore. He didn't know whether it was because he was too tired right now to keep up the bitterness, or if it was because he was genuinely turning it around. Either way, he wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. The orb was finally formed, and he nearly collapsed, almost all his reserves drained. He was at Gabriel's mercy now, he realized. There was nothing he'd really be able to do unless he got some rest. And, deep down, a part of him actually _wanted_ it that way.

Gabriel put in the last energy needed, and reached into the orb, molding his new form like clay. Of course, when the light, for the most part, dissipated, it revealed his new form was almost exactly like his old one, but with only one band around each point. He closed his eye, reconnecting Pyronica, before he went into his new body. It felt so invigorating to be in his own body again... but, like Bill, he was all worn out.

"Uh... thanks. I guess," he tried to act cool about it.

"Eh, it's no big deal..." the demon examined his adopted brother's new form sleepily, waving a dismissive hand tiredly. He pushed away from the deathly acquiescence, got up, and walked—stalked, more like—towards the bathroom, "I'm gonna go... check on the kid..."

"Yeah... you do that," he glanced at Pyronica, who was lying on the floor unconscious, again, and sighed.

Steven was still asleep, exactly where Pyronica had taken Gabriel into her own body. He was fine—albeit deep in sleep, and lying on his face. Bill Cipher didn't have enough energy to float, or even resize himself. So he thanked himself, and Pyronica, for leaving the door open. It would've been even more of an ego bruise if he was caught trying to jump for the doorknob. He walked right in, and smiled at the sight. He could tell, even powerless for a time, that Steven was doing alright. But he still couldn't shake the thought that something was wrong...

The demon soon sighed shakily. He saw his eyesight start to blur. His legs were starting to buckle underneath him. He felt crummy, overall. Like he was about to pass out. He should've expected this. In fact, he had been...

Bill glanced around, checking if anyone was watching, before he found it was all clear. With that, the triangle limped up to Steven, lay down next to him, but not too close, and fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

The triangular demon soon found himself waking up on the bed, but still next to Steven. Downstairs, sleeping on separate parts of the couch, were his brother and his second-in-command. Gabriel, in the night, had made the kid and his brother comfortable. He felt he owed it to them. To everyone. And had fallen asleep basking in his full-on guilt.

Bill blinked at this. He was sure he had fallen asleep on the bathroom floor. But he had only one person to thank for the transfer. He sighed. He never thought he'd ever thank _Gabriel_ again. He looked out the window. It was raining. Pouring, even. It seemed to have started last night, and never relented, even now on this Tuesday morning. How he knew? well, his powers had been restored due to his rest. And he regained a little more as well. He smiled at this, but was still somewhat wary.

What was going to happen now? he wondered. And he certainly hoped the feeling that something incredibly wrong was going to happen or was happening would pass...

* * *

 **A/N:** Damn right everything is different now. Jesus Christ. XD So this entire chapter is For Want of a Nail. I like it this way, actually. The way I had it planned was for the Void to get destroyed, along with Pyronica and Gabriel. But now... well, yah. Thanks, Ace. X3  
Sooo, Ace did Steven, Pyronica and Gabriel, and I did Bill. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. :3  
Please leave behind your thoughts. :3


	37. The Discovery

**A/N:** AND WHAT DO WE HAVE HERE?! a LATE chapter update? why, that's unheard-of! so the reason is that my internet was acting screwy, but only with this laptop, and it was connecting just fine. But it was messing up for some reason. Removing Google Chrome from and adding it back to Firewall and restarting the laptop worked wonders both times. Also, a guest reviewed (Chapter Thirty)! lemme answer them.

/Guest: Haha, no. The "E" word wasn't emotion, as he already feels emotion, but points to you for trying, unlike others. Keep reading, as I'm sure you have, and you'll find out the answer. XD

Now, enough talk! here we are with Chapter Thirty-Seven! I hope you enjoy this change in perspective. :3

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Discovery**

Pearl was protectively holding the ancient item—a small statue of a seemingly angelic figure with similarly ancient zodiac signs on its wings—she and her friends had been questing to achieve. The tall Gem seemed a little scratched up though, as she walked down the damp stairs from the holding place. She sighed, "Finally... we finally obtained the Illictic Cashid..."

Garnet was behind her, looking scratched up as well, but not as much. She had her head tilted slightly back for some reason, as if watching the now just cloudy sky. As if she'd seen someone fall from it in her future vision...

"Alright! now what do we do?" Amethyst was definitely ready to get out of here and back home. Not that she knew it was the resting place now for not one, not two, but _three_ demons.

"We're not done yet," Garnet replied, seemingly out of nowhere, as if she sensed the purple Gem's thoughts. She wasn't worried, even though she was the only one who could See. In fact, she was as calm as ever. She believed in them, after all.

"That's right!" Pearl sing-songed, reaching the end of the stairs and casting a longing glance at the broken Warp Pad right next to them. She then continued, "We have to head over to the Zodiac Temple and save it with this artifact."

"Alright then. Let's go already! I wanna go eat some food!" Amethyst cracked her knuckles, grinning almost.

"And check on Steven.." Pearl muttered with a slight sigh. She resumed walking, putting the Illictic Cashid away in her gem, scanning the path, even though there weren't really any dangers here. Or, at least, any dangers they _couldn't_ take care of. Garnet did the same, but her head was still tilted. She was scanning the sky as well. Amethyst soon groaned, walking with them, "Can't we go any faster?"

"Well, _I'm_ somewhat tired..." Pearl frowned at Amethyst. Garnet frowned as well, but at no one in particular. She hoped she wouldn't have to break apart a fight again. The pale Gem continued, "We haven't exactly stopped to rest fully and properly for _weeks_."

She'd actually come to appreciate the human technique of resting a while back. She didn't think, however, that she'd have to _need_ it. Not like this. Not since that one incident when they all got overworked trying to search for treasure on Steven's behalf. They all failed to find the treasure, long story short.

"Hey, Garnet, if I fall asleep, can you just carry me?"

The fusion glanced at the purple Gem, looking as if she was about to say "no". But she soon nodded, with a slightly noisy shrug. Pearl groaned quietly, narrowed blue eyes still scanning the path. She mumbled something that could easily be interpreted as, "I wish I had _someone_ who'd carry _me_..."

"Great. Thanks, Garnet!" Amethyst proceeded just to fall down on the ground, snoring way too loudly and incorrectly to actually be sleeping. Garnet actually smiled with laughter after a while of just staring at the small Quartz Gem. She snickered as she walked over and picked up Amethyst and shouldered her, indeed holding to what she said she'd do. Pearl soon couldn't resist laughing either. It was nice they could still laugh about things even with how dire circumstances seemed.

―

Pearl and Garnet kept walking along the wet path, side by side now. The latter kept her hidden eyes on the sky. Pearl kept hers on the ground, watching the damp, luscious environment go by. Amethyst soon fell asleep for real lying on Garnet like that, actually. And the fusion's smile widened. Of course. She saw that happening.

Pearl put a hand up to her forehead, but there was little to no sunlight to block out. It must have been to get a better grip on her surroundings. To focus. But, again, she couldn't help thinking about Steven and how he was doing. She sighed. But then something pulled her out of it. She saw something lying on the path far, far ahead of them. It could have been a hallucination, of course, but she didn't care at the moment. The tall Gem's eyes widened, and she quickened her pace. Garnet sped up too, frowning slightly. She was careful not to drop Amethyst.

This "something" was blue, and it glowed. It looked like a lock for a key, but with two closed buggy eyes, a mouth, and limbs. Pearl gasped, and summoned her spear as she reached it. She turned her weapon around and poked the seemingly unconscious creature with the other end, curious eyebrows raised.

Garnet adjusted her visor, still holding Amethyst. This must have been what she had Seen falling out of the sky. And then she summoned her gauntlet around her free hand, just to be safe. They had no idea whether this would be a danger or an ally. Or both. And her future vision was offering too many contradicting possibilities.

From their observations, the being definitely wasn't a Gem. It didn't look human either, though. It soon opened its yellow eyes, and was startled by them, particularly by Pearl's prodding, and jumped up and backed away. Pearl seemed just as startled by the creature's waking up, also backing off. Her eyes were wide, and she exclaimed, holding firm to her spear, "What are _you_ supposed to be?"

Garnet still kept out that gauntlet, absolutely stone-faced. But the fact that she was still carrying Amethyst like one would a baby might have alleviated the tension. Key words: "might have".

"I-I don't... it's none of your concern!" he shouted. He was marveling over the fact he had survived Pyronica's throw, still. It had been a while in the air... he was sure when he landed he would die. All he did, however, was left a him-sized and -shaped crater.

Pearl frowned, keeping her weapon out. Garnet then stepped forward, brow furrowed underneath her visor, but she spoke with a gentle yet firm tone, "But I think it _is_ our concern. You've reached an area no one but we three know about. We'd like an explanation..."

That gauntlet was still there, threatening. It was now at her side, but still—Garnet's reflexes were like lightning.

"Well... me and my friends were just walking along when suddenly one of them accuses me of treason and throws me as far away as she possibly can!"

Garnet raised an eyebrow underneath that visor. _Everyone_ could feel it, even Pearl. The fusion wasn't exactly buying it, and voiced it, "I don't think you're telling us the full and true story... but it _does_ explain how you got here. And it was that somebody threw you."

Pearl's frown deepened. She knew of no one—who wasn't a Gem—who was strong enough to do that, or strong enough to survive a throw like that. She needed answers, here and now. But she decided to let Garnet handle it.

"Uh... w-we're also demons from another dimension..." he answered, as if he read Pearl's thoughts. Which he did. However, he didn't want to explain the long quest of finding Gabriel and ending the demon war. Or Bill's obsession with finding the human. He himself barely understood what was going on there.

"Ah, that explains it," Pearl chimed in, finally. She seemed calm about it, but then it soon settled in. Demons. She freaked out inwardly, before it exploded quietly, and she held the blade of the spear up and pointing towards Keyhole, who squeaked, now, brow furrowing, "Wait, _demons_?! there's more of—!?"

Garnet then held up her gauntlet in front of Pearl, dispelling it to reveal her hand. It was the stop signal. So the tall pale Gem quieted, begrudgingly assuming a non-attacking position, setting her spear back to her side. The fusion nodded, "Understood."

She still seemed calm about the whole matter. Reason? three demons she could See in the Beach House. Not one of them have harmed, or tried to harm, Steven recently. Recently as in earlier today and yesterday. She almost found herself smiling at it.

Keyhole raised an eyebrow at this, but soon pushed it aside, "Anyway... can I hitch a ride with you guys?"

Amethyst chose that moment to wake up, yawning slightly. She didn't feel any movement, so she asked, "Hey, uh, guys? what's going on?"

Garnet nodded to Keyhole, implicitly saying he could indeed tag along, and set Amethyst down, explaining, "We've come across a sentient creature."

She didn't tell Amethyst Keyhole was a demon. She had her reasons. And most of them were already stated. And she also didn't want Amethyst to react like Pearl had, if that ever happened. Pearl frowned, and dispelled her Gem Weapon, sighing. She kept the true nature of the creature under wraps as well, despite wanting to shout it again. She did, however, start mumbling about it. She'd read documents upon documents about demons in her brief, though still unexplained, bout of interest in the supernatural. Next to none of them were quite savory.

Amethyst looked at him, "Hey, do you have a name?"

"K-Keyhole," he replied simply, nodding. He then bit his lip, "So, can I j-just follow you t-to wherever you're g-going?"

That was the thing about Keyhole. He was always a follower, never a leader, and that wasn't going to change any time soon. That's why he couldn't kill Bill—that and being too scared. Garnet seemed to realize this, once again putting herself into the leadership role, and nodded, "Yes, Keyhole. You'll be following us. But try not to be so dependent. This place can get _very_ dangerous."

Pearl nodded with agreement, being the quiet one for once. There was a dark shadow cast over her blue eyes as she stared down at him. It was quite obvious she didn't trust him. Not yet anyway.

"O-of course. I'll try," he nodded.

"Alright! come on, guys. We're wasting time. We gotta go get this Illictic Cashid back where it belongs!" Amethyst then raced ahead. Pearl and Garnet nodded, and rushed ahead as well, still taking the path from whence they had come in the first place. Though when they got far enough, they'd have to make a turn instead of continuing along the straight path. It would be dangerous, perhaps even more dangerous than their expedition alone, but it would cut a few days, or weeks even, from their journey.

* * *

 **A/N:** So now we're back on the Crystal Gems. X3 I took Pearl and Garnet, and Ace had Amethyst and Keyhole. I hope you enjoyed this! X3  
Next update will be Thursday. Please leave me your thoughts. I love them. :3


	38. The Terrible Shortcut

**A/N:** Well, 12:30 in the morning isn't a bad time, is it? it's still Thursday, the day of updating! so... give a warm hand for Chapter Thirty-Eight, everyone! yeee!

((I've also been taking the time to carefully go through and fix any mistakes I see. If you want to help, that'd be great!))

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Terrible Shortcut**

Amethyst was ready just to dive on into the action, looking around as she ran. Pearl glanced at Keyhole every now and then, still dashing along. Garnet kept her eyes forward, looking for the very spot on which they could turn. Amethyst almost raced past it, but stopped, "Uh, guys? which way do we go?"

Garnet pointed left, immediately turning and rushing down through the brush. Pearl followed, batting away the various outstretching greenery with some sort of snarl on her face. She still didn't feel right about having some demon follow them. But Garnet had the final say in it. She was the one with future vision, after all.

Amethyst and Keyhole ran after them, dodging branches and bushes. They continued this way until they reached another path, but it looked strange. All gnarled up, and beige instead of white. It also seemed enclosed in some kind of dim tunnel they managed to enter through the leaves. This was indeed the shortcut. But they still had a long way to go. Just by how it looked, they all could tell it was incredibly dangerous. But the fusion knew they'd be able to survive. So they continued their merry way.

Until Garnet stopped them.

Pearl frowned softly, wondering what was the matter. Until the fusion picked up a nearby rock and tossed it right where they were about to step. That part of the path collapsed almost immediately. The tall Gem's blue eyes widened. Now they had to deal with yet another faulty path. Only much more dangerous than the last. Because it was somewhat hard to see in here, despite the glow emanating from Keyhole.

Said demon glowed a little brighter, seeming to sense Pearl's thought.

"Hey, guys, I have an idea!" Amethyst pulled out her whip, and made it connect to the ceiling, and then soared over the floor to the other side of the room. She stepped down, grinning...

..until she fell through, yelling.

"Amethyst!" Pearl gasped, eyes even wider, and Garnet stretched out an arm to try and save the Quartz. She grabbed onto it, grunting. Garnet then pulled her out and put her on a stable part of the floor. At least _one_ of them made it across, somewhat. The fusion then retracted her arm and scanned the floor. She could see the fault-lines. Just as she had the last time. So she looked at Pearl, who had a hand on her chest as if she was about to have a heart attack, and Keyhole, and instructed them, "Follow me, and be careful."

And then she stepped across the hole, and made her way slowly through, marking where it was safe to step. Pearl trailed her, indeed being highly careful, not bothering to look back at the demon since it would make her lose track of where Garnet stepped. Keyhole followed Pearl, also being careful, and was visibly sweating. Soon, they made it to where Amethyst was, and Garnet looked ahead. It seemed a lot darker from here on in, because this wasn't just a tunnel. Pearl sighed and turned on her gem. Light shone through it and illuminated everything. It was a large room similar to the one they had faced in the pyramid back in the Strawberry Fields. Pearl's eyes widened, as she was hit with immediate nostalgia. And not the good kind. Garnet stayed stoic, but on the inside she was almost wishing Steven was here, even though it'd be way too dangerous for him. But this beast would probably be a whole lot more different.

"Ugh... do we have to go this way? all we've done so far is nearly gotten me poofed!" Amethyst growled.

"We can't exactly turn back now," the fusion stated, walking cautiously into the center of the room, scanning each of the doors.

"Besides, while it _was_ a good idea, that turned out bad, it was also _yours_ ," Pearl spoke up, following Garnet. She aimed her light at the doors, and then searched for torchlights. Maybe she could activate them...

"Was not!" Amethyst protested, still following. Keyhole oddly felt like he didn't belong, despite knowing these people weren't from Earth either.

"Was too!" the tall Gem shot back. But it was half serious and half not. She found torchlights, and shone her light on them. Within a few seconds, they lit up, and so she turned off her gem. Garnet glanced over at Keyhole, as if noticing how he felt. She decided she'd call attention to this later, after they got to the other side.

Amethyst groaned, "I wasn't the one who insisted on me being here for any of this! why did you have to drag me along for this one?"

"Because, as you'd seen, Amethyst, there were certain things we couldn't have done, couldn't have gotten through, without you," Pearl said, frowning. This time, it was fully serious. She continued, "We're a team, in any case."

Garnet watched them, nodding along. She was patient, listening and waiting for them to wrap up their conversation. Amethyst shrugged, "That's fair."

The tall Gem smiled then, "Good. Now let's solve this puzzle!"

Garnet hummed, looking at the doors, which each had a different insignia carved into them, again. If this was the same as the one in Strawberry Fields, they had to find the gem powering it. Or simply pick the correct door. They had no time to find the gem. Well, they technically did, but she didn't want to. It's been weeks already.

Keyhole stared at it. He thought about just destroying the doors... but didn't want to overstep his bounds. Amethyst sat down, waiting for them to figure it out. Pearl walked around, taking a closer look at three of the six doors. One insignia had the four diamonds. Another had the image of a spaceship. But there was one that seemed eroded away. Garnet paid especial attention to this door. What if this one was the way out? and then she said, seemingly out of nowhere, "Try not to destroy the doors. The mechanism will think that means they're open. And we'll be in for a world of hurt."

The pale Gem raised an eyebrow, wondering where this came from, but chalked it up to her future vision. Which it was. The fusion had seen Keyhole breaking down the doors, resulting in disaster. Pearl soon nodded, deciding to say, "Alright then! noted!" anyway. Keyhole sighed, while the purple Gem looked at the other doors from where she was sitting.

There were three more symbols—a six-fingered hand for some reason, a demonic eye similar to a certain demon's, and a llama. But these wouldn't really make sense to one who didn't know about them.

Garnet soon walked back and patted Keyhole on his shoulder as some type of comfort, but Keyhole barely reacted. Pearl shot a near glare at the blue demon, seeming to showboat her lack of trust towards him, and went to the eroded door beside which Garnet was previously standing. She traced where an insignia used to be, trying to find out how huge it was. It seemed pretty big. The tall Gem began to wonder. Amethyst got back up, and wandered over to Pearl.

"You think this might be the door?" Pearl noticed her, and pointed at the door she was examining. Garnet stayed with Keyhole this time. She wanted to open her mouth and say something about his not belonging in their group, but they weren't out yet. And she remembered saying she would the moment they got out. Besides, perhaps Keyhole would eventually see that he did belong.

Amethyst squinted her eyes, "Well, there's only one way to find out..."

Pearl frowned. She hoped it was right. She really did. But she'd seen Garnet near this door. It must have been okay. So she nodded, stepping aside and gesturing for Amethyst to do the honors, and summoned her spear just in case it led to something bad happening. Amethyst grinned and pulled out her weapon, whipping the door so it broke in two.

And then an alarm went off—a very loud buzz that frightened and nearly deafened Pearl. And that was it. But they also lost a torchlight, and the area started rumbling, as the source began its quest towards this room. Garnet stood up into a battle stance, eyes wide, and brought out her gauntlets. The tall Gem sweatdropped, backing away from the door, still armed with her spear. She chuckled nervously, "Uh.. well, that one wasn't the right door..."

"Clearly," the fusion frowned, narrowing her eyes now.

Keyhole then stomped once, bringing down rocks in front of the wrong one, but also accidentally sealing them in this room, not allowing them to turn back. The source crashed into the rocks, and the rumbling stopped. Apparently the momentum and it colliding into the obstacle caused it to go unconscious. Garnet sighed of relief, and gratefully smiled at Keyhole, dispelling her gauntlets. Pearl, however, didn't share in the relief for long. She shot a look over at the caved in entrance, and groaned a little, putting away her spear. Well, they _definitely_ couldn't turn back if they wanted now. She doubted Garnet, what with her hidden exhaustion, could bulldoze through those rocks.

"How about this door?" Amethyst wandered over and, willy nilly, slashed open the Diamond Door.

"Amethyst!" Pearl nearly screeched. They lost another torchlight, which was again a sign that it was the wrong door. A song started to play, similar to the song that was heard when the Diamonds corrupted the Gems Rose's shield wasn't able to protect. But it seemed to be heralding something. Something, well, bad. The remaining torchlights flickered, and monsters, _really dangerous_ ones, materialized from the floor. They bore a strong resemblance to the Heartless, or, as they were called in this world, the Monds, and if Steven were here, he would have said so. Garnet and Pearl brought their weapons back out, lips upturned into a snarl.

Amethyst got out another whip, and started attacking multiple of them. Keyhole was too frightened to do anything—plus he was still in that whole "follower" mindset. The monsters the Quartz Gem attacked roared, taking the hits. They regenerated almost instantly, and then one of them decided to throw a rock at her, which she narrowly dodged with a roll. Garnet stood on the sidelines, scanning them for possible weaknesses. There was a diamond sketch etched onto each of their chests, she noted, and then spared a glance at Keyhole, raising an eyebrow. Pearl noticed Amethyst was in possible danger, but couldn't do anything to defend her. She was swarmed by some of the monsters, and, despite her attempts to ward them off, they just kept coming.

Keyhole soon decided he would help after all—he had to do something, since he could do something, right? so he did the best he could—he grew himself up taller and stronger, and began to beat the "Gems" like they were nothing, dark smoke dispersing into the air. Amethyst found herself incapable of poofing any of them.

Because they weren't exactly Gems, what they were dealing with. Pearl finally managed to keep them at bay, but it was incredibly tough since they weren't playing fair. Garnet shouted, finally jumping into the fray and aiming for her enemy group's insignia, "Aim for their chests! it's their weak point!"

The fusion punched one of them square in the chest, and it instantly vanished with a brief shriek. Pearl nodded, backflipped to give herself some space, landing on a wall, and then jumped off and started aiming for her group's insignia as well. Now she had a much better luck cutting them down, and what seemed to be endless amounts of dark smoke emanated from their nonexistent corpses. She noticed Keyhole had finally joined the battle, but wasn't quite sure what to think about that. Keyhole continued to do that. He had already figured that out for himself, fortunately. Amethyst was having bigger trouble still. Getting her whip to aim in one exact spot, hard, was not the task it was designed for.

Garnet allowed a small smile to flit upon her lips as she watched Keyhole. Just like Steven, she noted. She kept bashing her group of Monds in their chests, leaving behind nothing but dark smoke. Pearl looked over at Amethyst's section again, and finished off the Monds attacking her before she jumped over to help, with an obvious and unnecessary, "Need a hand?"

She nodded, smiling a little. Pearl then took Amethyst's hand and hurled her into the horde, expecting her to use that spindash attack she had. And then Pearl rushed ahead and spin-kicked a few monsters right in the chest. They shrieked and vanished. Garnet finished with her group of monsters, and decided to go over and help Keyhole, whether he needed it or not. Amethyst did indeed use that spindash attack, and killed a whole line of them. Pearl cheered her on, cutting more monsters down. Soon, there was only one left, and it looked a little scared. Garnet and Pearl turned their sights onto it, wearing the most serious battle faces, and the former directed her gaze to the blue demon, almost smirking now.

Keyhole then grabbed it from behind, knocking both fists into the insignia, which made the creature vanish into a puff of darkness. A moment of silence passed before...

"Clearly..." Amethyst began, brushing off some dust, "that was the wrong door."

"Gee, you think?!" Pearl shot a wide-eyed look at the purple Gem. But they didn't get a chance even to breathe, and Garnet couldn't even relax out of her battle stance. For the creature that had been knocked out cold had recovered and burst through the rocks, sending them flying. Pearl dodged these while Garnet punched into them. The tall pale Gem got even paler when she saw it, "Oh, for the love of—!"

It was towering, almost as tall as the door itself, and almost as big too. The unknown beast roared, the tiles it had for skin rattling. Garnet took to studying it, teeth clenched and eyes narrowed. Keyhole stared at it, a little afraid. Amethyst decided to use her whip like a lasso and tossed it around the creature. It was disoriented for a moment, but this moment wasn't long enough for even Pearl to get in an attack. It stretched its body against the force of the whip holding it firm, and snapped it.

"Oh, my stars!" Pearl shouted, eyes wide. Garnet decided to run up the wall behind it while it was at least semi-distracted, and jumped for it, gauntlets out in front of her for a strike. It struck its back, but it was a next to a no sell,—there were small resultant cracks here and there—and the powerhouse didn't even notice. The fusion landed on her feet, and then knelt moments later, huffing and puffing for a while. The exhaustion was starting to take a toll on her.

"We should fuse and beat it that way!" Amethyst suggested, glancing at the ceiling. It would probably squish them, but it wasn't like they had a better option.

Garnet glanced up at the ceiling too, and frowned. Sardonyx would be way too tall. Sugilite too. Opal would be the best choice. She had a feeling this beast was vulnerable to piercing damage. So she nodded, getting up slowly and moving away before she got stomped on, "Agreed. Opal is needed here."

Pearl saluted, and quickly headed over to Amethyst, dodging a swipe from the monster, who roared once more, but it was clearly not as loud as the first time. Amethyst met the tall Gem halfway, fusing almost instantly with her. Keyhole was a little anxious about the whole situation.

Opal stood where they once were when the light vanished, taking a deep breath, and summoned her components' weapons, combining them into a bow and arrow. The monster rounded on the fusion immediately, and started running at them. She flipped over it and shot a barrage of arrows at its back. And Garnet was correct in her tactic. Once the arrows hit home, where the cracks were, it made the fissures bigger and splintered the tiles of the monster even more, and it screeched.

Keyhole cheered them on, and the taller fusion smiled at this, and continued shooting arrows at the monster. It screeched even more, backing away. But it was starting to lose its footing and balance. Garnet noticed and smirked, and began running towards it, bringing her arms out in front of her. She rammed into the beast's leg, and the monster roared, with agony, as it buckled and collapsed. The arrows embedded into its back impaled it, going through its chest now, and it shrieked, flailing about. It was waiting for someone to deal the final blow. And so Opal and Garnet turned to Keyhole, gesturing for him to deliver the coup de grâce.

He ran up to it, a little nervous, but punched it right in the face with all his demony power. He kinda was expecting it to explode from the intensity of the punch. And it indeed exploded, or more like imploded. The debris that would have been sent flying, because physics, actually disintegrated the moment they hit the ground. Garnet and Opal cheered, the former clapping, and then the latter defused. Pearl was smiling, and applauding. She seemed to have gotten over her distrust towards him. Outwardly, that is. Inside, she was still a little aloof and unsure.

Keyhole grinned at the praise. But eventually...

"Okay... so let's actually try and find the right one now," Amethyst sighed, tired. She wanted to sleep even more now.

Garnet nodded, finally relaxing and dispelling her gauntlets. She was slightly slumped over, sharing the same feeling and sentiment. She decided they could all rest after they found the right door. She looked around, examining the insigniae that Ford and Stan, and the whole of Gravity Falls actually, would definitely recognize. She inspected the demonic eye in particular, rubbing her chin.

Pearl groaned tiredly, putting away her spear, slightly limping around. She ignored the door with the spaceship. She _knew_ that was wrong, and not just because she had a bad experience with one. But because it didn't fit with the motifs they'd seen throughout their journey. The zodiac motifs.

Keyhole turned his attention to them as well. He gasped when he saw them, but was focused on one in particular.

"I think it's th-this one!" he pointed to the one with the eye, recognizing it instantly. He didn't understand how it fit into Gem culture... but he had a good feeling about it.

Pearl glanced over at said door. It happened to be the same one Garnet was eyeing, and the fusion smirked. The tall Gem walked up to it, hand on her chin, "Hm... it might be... this is strange though... I don't think I remember something like this..."

Amethyst glanced up at Garnet, "Can't you just use your future vision to find the right door?"

"My future vision isn't exactly absolute..." Garnet sighed, sounding exhausted. "But this... this is definitely the right door.."

She was certain of it. This eye... she was sure at least one of her components had run into its owner. Pearl frowned, examining it some more. The more she looked at it, the more distant it seemed somehow. And it looked mysterious.. and evil. She felt as if it was watching all of them. And it sent chills down her spine.

"Okay... should I bash it in?" asked Amethyst, getting excited.

Garnet chuckled, and Pearl smirked. They both nodded. Pearl then said, "I think we should do it together this time..." and glanced over at Keyhole, "on the count of four..."

The two summoned their weapons once more, smiling, and Garnet started off, "Four."

Pearl raised her spear, "Three!"

"Two," Amethyst called, summoning not one, but two whips.

Keyhole took a deep breath, "One..." he got ready to kick the door in its face.

"Zero!" they all shouted, and then bashed open the door. A ding sounded through the air, similar to the chime of the Warp Pad and to the sound of the game shows when someone got the answer correct. They didn't lose a torchlight, and nothing threatening was happening. So their choice was right. Pearl jumped for joy, just barely since she was so tired, and Garnet dispelled her gauntlets, her smile broadening. Who knew a simple eye that didn't seem to belong here would be the answer? but soon they'd learn that it wasn't just a goof...

"Whew... catch me, Garnet!" Amethyst shouted, before she began to collapse from exhaustion.

And Garnet indeed caught her, no questions asked, before sitting down, sighing. Pearl chuckled wearily, letting vanish her spear, and then sat down also, back leaning against the wall. Despite her body resting, her mind certainly wasn't. It was still running through thoughts about the eye. There was something about it. Did Rose ever mention it to her? she soon shook her head.

No. She would've remembered if that was the case. She always remembered what Rose told her. Her blue eyes were cast in shadow once again. What if this was another secret she kept? just waiting until someone or something unearthed it? she clenched her fists, frowning, as old scars seemed to reopen.

Keyhole wanted to keep moving, "I-I'll just go up ahead!"

Plus he hated having to listen to the drama unfolding inside Pearl's head.

"I think you should stay here..." Garnet frowned slightly. "It'll only get even more dangerous..."

Possibilities that centered around Keyhole going it alone flashed through her head, and they were all horrible. She held back a shudder.

Pearl bowed her head, swaying a little, and then lay down, curling up a little bit. She tried to curtail these thoughts. She really did. But Rose... how could she.. do this to her again..? especially about something that rung so terribly to her despite not knowing a thing about it? she shook her head, trembling, and tried again to shield herself from these thoughts. It was only to help her. Only to keep her and her mind safe. She had to remember that.

"Can we go, then?" Keyhole blinked slightly, looking towards the opened door.

Garnet shook her head, "We're all exhausted... we need this rest... Pearl's right. We haven't properly rested in weeks. And it's starting to take a toll on us."

As much as she hated to admit that she was tired—too tired to keep going for now.

The tall Gem closed her eyes, shifting so that she was on her back instead of her side, and then reopened them. Her blue eyes were half-lidded, as if she was about to succumb to a nap. And, thankfully, the thoughts about Rose's secrecy finally stopped once she took a few deep breaths and repeated in her head that the pink Quartz Gem had good intentions. But the visage of the eye remained. She had to figure this out. She really did.

Amethyst was already fast asleep. Snoring, actually. Keyhole was unsettled by this, and pressed, "B-but I'm a demon! I don't need sleep... what am I supposed to do?"

"You could wait here..." Garnet replied, pushing up her visor. And then she decided to bring up his insecurity. So she offered, "We could talk."

Pearl finally closed her eyes, and fell asleep too almost immediately due to her exhaustion, despite wanting to stay up. So now Garnet and Keyhole were metaphorically alone, and this was good. It was just in case their topics got deep.

"...what do you want to, er, talk about?" Keyhole raised an eyebrow.

"I know you feel like you don't belong with us," Garnet began, crossing her arms, but not in that scolding way.

"And?" he tilted his head.

"I just want to let you know that you do..." the fusion finished, and then added, "we're a ragtag team. A 'lowly' Pearl. An 'overcooked' Quartz. And then there's me. I'm something that shouldn't exist in the eyes of Homeworld."

"And now you've got a demon to wrap it all up," Keyhole seemed to get it.

Garnet nodded, smiling slightly, "Yes. And then there's Steven. I assume you hadn't met him yet. He's really quite special."

"No, I don't think I have..." he wondered what kind of Gem Steven was. Keyhole often forgot about his mind reading ability.

"And that's fine. You'll get to meet him after we're done here," Garnet brought her arms behind her large square afro, crossing them again and leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes. But she didn't go to sleep. She felt Keyhole wanted to talk more.

He frowned, "Uh... what's he like?"

And then that smile broadened. She said, "He's one of the sweetest kids ever to walk this earth. He sees the beauty in almost everything that and everyone who exists, and tries his best, unintentionally or not, to mold the rough into a diamond. Like I said, he's really special."

Keyhole nodded, feeling awkward, "Good. For him."

The fusion nodded too, "But enough about Steven. The point is that you belong here. We're willing to accept you. Pearl may not be so inclined yet, but I know she will be."

"How can you possibly know?" he gawked.

She smiled, and revealed her third, purple eye for just a minute, replying, "Future vision."

He jumped for a minute, but soon relaxed. "Eye think I understand," he winked, smiling slightly, but was troubled by it. Bill could see the future... couldn't he?

Garnet chuckled at the pun, and closed her eyes again. She was close to going to sleep this time. But she forced herself awake. He soon lay down, deciding this was enough for him, and hit the hay. And then the fusion sighed. She made up her mind. But she'd have to wake up soon, so she and her team could move on. And so she yawned, and then fell asleep, dreamlessly.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's that! X3  
Things start to get a little more interesting, not that it wasn't interesting already. XP  
I had Garnet and Pearl, (and Opal), and again Ace had Amethyst and Keyhole. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We certainly did. X3 Please leave a lengthy review. We always appreciate those.


	39. The Impossible Dream

**A/N:** Okay, guys! here's Chapter Thirty-Nine. It's _incredibly_ short, but it makes up for it in Wham Value. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Impossible Dream**

Pearl was floating in a void, still seemingly asleep. She jerked awake soon enough, in this strange place, and looked around, eyes wide. An eyebrow rose, symbolizing her confusion, "What...?"

The Gem floated around, scanning the area, when suddenly the darkness lifted a tiny bit. It was an eye opening, and the hellish pupil was looking right at her. She gasped, and readied her spear, shuddering a little. She had a bad feeling about this. A _really_ bad feeling.

It didn't do anything other than stare at her, however. Or, rather, as it soon became apparent, someone in front of her. A familiar someone. Someone with pink ringlets. Pearl could barely understand this at all. Why was she dreaming about something she'd never seen before?

Pearl blinked. She saw Rose gesture different things, but didn't hear her speak. She didn't hear the owner of the eye speak either. But she could see that her mentor, her lover, was the tiniest bit afraid. Maybe a little subservient?

No.

That just didn't seem right. Pearl always knew Rose as a strong, independent Gem, who bowed to no one and let no one bow to her. What was it about this eye that invoked such a change..?

And suddenly she felt herself falling, and she screamed. Neither Rose nor the mysterious figure could hear her. They grew farther and farther away, and darkness started clouding her vision. And soon she jerked and bolted awake, gasping and sweating, eyes completely wide. Pearl looked around, and saw Garnet and Amethyst and Keyhole sleeping comfortably. She then groaned. Oh, how she envied them...

* * *

 **A/N:** I told you it was incredibly short. Later on, or tomorrow, I'll post the next one. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless, and please leave reviews. I solo'd this. :3

Also, just so you know, my computer cord is on a sometimes thing now, so the days I upload this story are going to be sporadic, but it's always going to be a week in between, with exceptions to extremely short chapters. However, since I'm not receiving any reviews, I may wait till Friday or Saturday.

Have a nice day!


	40. Trapped

**A/N:** Howdy, all! I just went on ahead and waited till Thursday to update. And I'm glad I did. Cause I've got four new reviews, and some faves and follows. Thanks to coolosus1, Wulfen03, and sofiathe23rd for the faves and follows! and as a reply to the two reviews I can't reply to:

/TheGoldenDragwolf: Thank you very much!

/guest: If you've looked, you'll see that there was no need to update since I update weekly, every Thursdays or Fridays. But I'm so glad you're so eager to see this continue. No worries - Ace and I don't plan on ending this. At least until it ends. XP And I'm glad you like seeing characters reformed. I do too~

Now... without further ado, here we are with another perspective! give it up for Chapter Forty, everyone! I hope you like it!

 **Note: This chapter is set Monday night or early Tuesday morning.**

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Forty: Trapped**

A single Homeworld ship cut through the cold depths of space. The pilot was caught off guard when something appeared on her radar—something _living_. She slowed down, and turned on the screens, staring at it. Unfortunately, it wasn't the something living she was looking for. But she supposed she might as well scoop up this one anyway.

The orange Gem initiated the tractor beam sequence, pulling the other Gem, who kicked and silently screamed, into the ship, through a vent. She stood up tall, cracked her neck, and went down to the cell the blue Gem would automatically be put into by the beam. She stared at her for a few seconds, studying her. The tall blue Gem stared at her captive with wide eyes, a slight snarl on her lips.

Trapped.

Again.

This was just her luck, wasn't it? she reached out to touch the field, hoping to escape, but held back on it at the last second, thankfully. She didn't speak, just frowned at the Gem before her. The brawny, orange Gem punched the wall, rocking the entire vessel.

"WHERE IS PERIDOT FACET-2F5L, CUT-5XG?!" she roared, staring at the other one with an intense gaze.

Lapis flinched, but kept her wits about her. She soon shook her head, lowly remarking, "I have never seen her in my life..."

How could she have though? but, even if she had, she'd never squeal. She wasn't that type of Gem, anyway. Being trapped did that to people. Jasper sighed, and covered her face with her enormous hand, "Then who are you? where'd you come from? how'd you get stuck in space?"

"My name is Lapis Lazuli..." she replied, and then frowned. That was rather humiliating. She didn't like thinking about the fact that she'd gotten lost trying to get back home. But now she wasn't sure if she should've taken that route—to return. So she simply said, "And I don't know," to answer those two questions.

"You don't know? so you just formed, in the middle of space? I DON'T THINK SO! tell me the truth—tell me where you came from! are you a spy?!" she punched the wall again.

"I'm not a spy!" the blue Gem yelled, and then turned away slightly. "I wanted to find my way back home!"

"Then tell me how you got here in the first place. I'll take you to Homeworld if you do," Jasper said this in an honest, but dangerous way.

"..What will you do if I don't...?" Lapis challenged her, still not wanting to talk about it. She immediately regretted it, however, if the brief wide-eyed look on her face was any indication.

"I'll keep you here for a very long time," she then leaned closer. "And when my mission is complete, I will make sure you are shattered to bits. IS THAT CLEAR?!"

Lapis gasped, and nodded, frowning softly, "Clear..."

But she still didn't tell. It was simply too embarrassing. Just as embarrassing as it was for Bill Cipher to admit that he didn't know how he washed up on Beach City. And, maybe, on the inside, she preferred getting shattered over this situation. At least, maybe, she'd never be trapped again. Never again be conscious of the feeling.

"So... for the last time... tell me where you hail from. How you got so far out here. Or I personally will break you," Jasper glared at her. If looks could kill... Lapis would have been long since dead.

The hydro-Gem took a deep breath, and stated, "Homeworld... or Earth..." and then she muttered to herself, gripping her arm, "or a mirror..."

"Earth?" she frowned. "Stay here, Lazuli. I will be back." As though Lapis had a choice. She went up to the bridge, and set a course for this... Earth, as well as read up on it for a little while. Then she returned to Lapis, staring at her menacingly, "Tell me... how a puny Gem like you escaped the gravity field of a planet like that with no ship, no limb enhancers, or anything else!"

Lapis's eyes were wide. She shouldn't have told. Steven was brought to the forefront of her mind now. She'd put him in danger again. Oh, no...

She snapped out of it, and registered the large Quartz in her gaze once more. She answered, "I'm stronger than I look..."

"Oh? I'd like to see that," she deactivated the destabilizer field. "Prove it to me, Lapis Lazuli. Show me how strong you are!"

The Gem stepped out and looked around, and her frown deepened. There was no water. But then she got an idea. It may just save Steven. She sighed, "I'm not very powerful without water. But Earth has lots of it... and you're going there, anyway, aren't you?"

She nodded, "Can I trust you not to get yourself into trouble if I bring you up to the bridge?"

She smirked on the inside, and nodded too, "Of course you can."

"Good. Come on, then," she started walking, and then looked back at Lapis, with a warning, "and if you double-cross me... there will be no second chance."

Lapis gulped, almost tossing her plan into the trash, and followed Jasper, looking around at everything. She wondered if it would be worth it though. The Quartz wasn't even after that kind of thing. She was after another Gem. But why? she mulled over this and the plan some more, and, in the end, she decided to scrap it, and just wait and see. She'd act if Steven got in the way. But for now...

Jasper soon reached the bridge, and looked to Lapis, "You'll sit in the co-pilot seat. _Don't touch_ _ **anything**_." And she herself didn't touch anything either, not yet.

The Gem sat in the seat, and didn't touch anything, as was told. Even though she wanted to be a rebel. She didn't want to be shattered. So she kept her arms to herself, crossing her legs. It felt weird being here, especially since she had been treated as a captive for almost her entire life, and thus left out of the loop for how Homeworld's changed over the years. This was so new to her. So... _alien_ , ironically enough. That was part of the reason she didn't touch anything. And yet it was also part of the reason she _did_ want to touch stuff.

Eventually the ship stopped, the lines that the stars had become in the flight settling, and the Earth was large and visible in front of them.

"Hmm..." Jasper conducted a scan of the planet, and found various warps, as well as kindergartens. But one warp interested her more than the rest. To which she instructed the ship to begin flying.

Lapis, after a while of silence, eventually began, "So... you mentioned a Peridot..."

She couldn't finish it though, and was pretty much expecting Jasper to catch on. Last time she was here, Peridots were rather low on the hierarchical ladder, above Pearls but below Rubies. Or was it the other way around and the Rubies were below Peridots? either way, those green Gems were insignificant. Why did Homeworld want her enough to send a higher level Gem after her?

"I did. Have you seen her?" unfortunately, Jasper did not realize what Lapis was really implying, nor did she seem to take Lapis's first answer to heart.

She shook her head, sighing that the Quartz didn't get it, "No. I said I hadn't... but what I want to know is why..."

"Why? why what?"

"Why do you want her?" the blue Gem asked, feeling irritated.

"Why do _I_ want her?" Jasper repeated the question, and then scoffed, "Yellow Diamond assigned me to retain her... for reasons unknown to me. I suspect, since she's an Era 2, that she has some other, secret significance. She wouldn't just run off if not, would she? no, she must be a spy, or a rebel!" Jasper laughed.

Lapis blinked, and nodded, now staring at the planet before her, "I see."

However, her thoughts suggested otherwise. "Secret significance"...? what did that entail? she really wanted to know, but didn't press. After all, this was all Jasper knew. She wouldn't get anything else out of her, and she was afraid she'd get shattered if she tried. Figures Yellow Diamond wouldn't even tell her high-ranking solder the goings-on. So, perhaps, if this wound up where she was somewhat thinking it was going, she'd find out for herself what this... "secret significance" was... and she highly doubted it was because this Peridot was a spy...

"This Earth... tell me about it. What's it like down there? anything dangerous?"

"Not really for us," Lapis muttered. She didn't like the thought of working for someone, but she'd have to. She'd get shattered if she didn't. "It's full of creatures... some called humans."

Even looking down at the Earth, she didn't really see what was so beautiful about it. Maybe a little, but she had been trapped there. And it was miserable. Jasper raised an eyebrow, "Humans?"

"Yes. They somewhat look like us, but.. not at the same time..." the Gem scrunched up her face a little. "And some of them appear male too..."

Jasper chuckled, "Earth definitely must be a strange place..."

"Definitely," Lapis nodded, finger on her chin. Good. They agreed on something. She didn't say that out loud though. Jasper then sped up, trying to get this over with.

The Gem narrowed her dark blue eyes. She reviewed her plan again. The one she tossed away. She still had to figure out what to do if Steven somehow got involved. Jasper soon began to slow down the vehicle—Beach City was visible far below. Lapis's eyes were wide. She remembered this was where Steven lived. She looked over at the Quartz, "Uh, maybe we shouldn't land there! I don't think the Gem you're looking for is in this location!"

"Land there? no, we're not going to land, Lazuli. We're going to methodically got to each major land mass and search for Gems," she began the procedure of scanning the area.

And then Lapis sighed of relief, leaning back into her seat. She nodded, "Alright."

She remembered there were other Gems there, however, and her landing when she found them would put Steven in danger. But chances are that Jasper wouldn't stop because none of them was the green Gem for whom she was looking. And then she was back on that. She hummed quietly. What significance could a Peridot possibly have?

And then suddenly...

"Found a contact!" Jasper called out, a small blip appearing at the beach. "Well, would you look at that? already found her!"

"What?" Lapis paled slightly, snapping out of her thoughts as her relief completely drained from her body language. "Uh, what if that's a false alarm? it seems way too obvious."

"It's a Gem of some sort, at least. There's not supposed to be any Gems on this planet... so it's of my concern, even if it isn't the rogue peridot."

Lapis bowed her head quickly, bringing it back up before Jasper noticed. She sighed, "Well, fine..."

But inside she was screaming.

"Good. Setting a course for it now..." they began to inch closer to the place. Now was Lapis's chance. Steven could be taken prisoner, too, or worse, if they continued...

Lapis looked around. She knew they were nearing water now. She inhaled, concentrating. The water in the ocean soon quickly jumped up and hit the ship. And the rain was becoming a giant storm. And to make herself look innocent, she gasped and reacted badly, "Oh no, the storm is really bad here! we should go to another place!"

"Storm? ha! this ship could make it through asteroid fields! a simple 'storm' isn't going to stop this baby!" Jasper revved the engines, grinning.

Well, she'd just have to try harder. She concentrated more, and the storm got worse. Much worse. They couldn't see what was in front of them now. And the water kept beating the ship. Another huge wave crashed into it, intent on sending the ship towards a certain place. Away from here. She gasped again, feeling the rattles, "Jasper! it's gotten really, _really_ bad!"

Jasper gasped. Water began to leak through the ship, and there was beeping, and an alarm. "Shit! I lost control of the ship! Lazuli, come on, we have to get out of here before this thing falls apart!" she grabbed the blue Gem, and, without asking her, dragged her into an escape pod.

Lapis smirked to herself, but acted the part of a frightened bystander well. However, she hoped the ship would crash into the water harmlessly and not into the Beach House. The Gem didn't fight back. This was exactly what she wanted. She kept up the major storm, huffing and puffing with pretend anxiety. Jasper then made the ship shoot them out. They already somehow had been submerged under the water...

The ship had started falling when it lost visibility. Plus, Jasper wasn't really that great of a pilot. The hydro-Gem realized this, pressing up against the pod. She began to control the direction in which they moved. Up towards a certain town. Far away from here.

The pod was tiny, clearly not meant for someone of Jasper's size, or two people. On autopilot, the thing soared through the sea, before running out of power, it seemed, and stopping. Lapis felt extremely uncomfortable. She sighed, sarcastically muttering, "Great..."

She kept making the water move the pod though, almost tirelessly. At least she was getting them away from Beach City.

"Ugh... this is all your fault, isn't it?" Jasper glared at Lapis. "I hate you!"

"No, this isn't my fault. I tried to warn you about the storm," Lapis half-lied. There really _was_ a storm here. She just worsened it. And now it seemed to stick. The waves were going crazy. At least, where they were and near Beach City. She sighed. She wished she thought it through a little better.

"It's because you were being a backseat driver!" she punched Lapis. Clearly she was not listening to reason.

"Ow! hey! you told me not to touch anything, and I obliged!" Lapis then frowned, rubbing her shoulder. And then there was a little thump, and it was clear what happened—they had hit the very bottom of the ocean floor. Her frown deepened. Now they were stuck like this because she lost her concentration. Fantastic. She placed a hand on the pod, and the other on her face, groaning.

Jasper growled. "I DON'T CARE!" she punched the roof of the pod, and the thing began to beep. Annoyingly. It was obviously only infuriating her more.

"Stop it! I need to get back my concentration!" the Gem grabbed her hair, trying to distract herself from the alarm. She closed her eyes, and focused on getting the water to push them up to the surface.

"Concentration for what?" Jasper asked in a dangerous tone.

"Getting us out of this mess!" Lapis shot back. The pod slowly but surely began to rise from the floor, being pushed up by the force of the current.

"How about _I_ get us out of this mess, Lazuli?" Jasper punched a hole through the wall of the pod, and water began to trickle in. But Jasper didn't care. She ripped the pod open, and grabbed Lapis's hand again, pulling her up, swimming fast and strong.

Lapis's frown deepened. But she supposed this was more effective. And faster too. They'd end up on land soon. Preferably away from Beach City.

They eventually burst through the water, to find, much to Lapis's preference, there wasn't a single bit of land as far as the eye could see. Jasper huffed and puffed, her hand clenching around Lapis's wrist harder, "Gah! this is your fault, isn't it?"

"Like I said, this isn't my fault!" she screamed, shutting her eyes tightly due to pain.

"Liar!" Jasper held her up, over the water, and threw her.

And Lapis, before she hit the water again, grew her watery wings and flew upwards a little bit. She looked back down at Jasper, glaring at her, "You're the one who wanted to take the storm by the horns..."

"Come back here, right now. Or I will shatter you with my own bare hands!" Jasper yelled, swimming towards her, trying to grab her foot.

"I'm the only one who can get us out of this mess. The only one who knows a little more about Earth than any other Gem," Lapis kept a little away from her. "Shatter me and you'll be stranded with no information."

Jasper thought on this for only a second, pouting slightly, before she said, "Fine, Lazuli. I won't shatter you. But you have to take me somewhere safe," and then grabbed the blue Gem's foot.

"Good," and then she started flying away, Jasper barely weighing her down. She looked through the storm, trying to find some land. She eventually did. A strip of land with some trees. Lapis started her way over to it, unknowingly passing by a speedboat along the way...

* * *

 **A/N:** I really hope you enjoyed this one. We kinda think we messed up on our characters. I had Lapis, Ace had Jasper. I think she did well with Jasper, though. And I kinda was subconsciously mixing Lapis's old and current personality together, along with a hint of _something_ else. So yeah... more parallels are drawn, and yet again the concept of a hierarchy is mentioned. This is so fun! remember - leave a review! I'll see you next week with the next one!


	41. Trouble at Sea

**A/N:** Thanks to a whole bunch of guys for following and favoriting this story! I really appreciate it. I'd also like reviews, but well I'll accept this. Now to reply to the reviewers!

/TheGoldenDragwolf: Thank you so much! I like it too, and I'm glad you do.

/Guest: You're very welcome! ya know, I'd love to discuss these chapters with you, personally, so if you could create an account and review, that would be lovely!

Aaaaand with that said, here's Chapter Forty-One, with yet another perspective! I hope you enjoy!

 **Note: This chapter was also set either Monday night or early Tuesday morning.**

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Forty-One: Trouble at Sea**

Ford was holding tight onto the edge of the boat. Things had gotten incredibly stormy, more than it had been, incredibly dangerous, _extremely_ fast. He almost thought it was Bill's doing, but his phone had alarmed him that a serious storm was scheduled to pass by this area. However, he didn't think it would be _this_ severe. He shot a worried look over at his brother and at Peridot, who, inexplicably only to him, managed to hold firm to the rocking boat without even holding onto anything.

Meanwhile, the Gem seemed frightened, hugging herself as she paced. She wasn't used to this. What was this? it seemed extremely bad. She brought up her screen to look it up, but a thunderclap freaked her out more and made her "drop" it. Stan, steering, sped up the craft, "Hold on tight, guys...!"

Ford didn't need to be told twice. He was already holding on. The waves kept pushing the boat back, however, each one farther than the last. Peridot looked around fearfully, wondering what she could do. The rain was soaking the boat and everything and everyone on it. She soon yelled over the storm, "What can _I_ do?!"

"Be our lookout! if you see _anything_ in the water that could potentially hurt the ship or us, tell me _immediately_!" Ford's brother answered, eyes narrowed.

She saluted, the Diamond salute, not realizing that wasn't how things worked here, and nodded, "Yes, sir!"

And she took to doing just that, and it wasn't hard to see at all. She was made with that capability, after all. She didn't mind her wet hair hanging on and past her shoulders. She was honestly too distracted.

The scientist kept holding on, wearing a straight face. He was lucky all those years in the portal made him resistant to puking. He didn't want to lose what he'd eaten. The waves kept rocking the boat, and one of them tipped it just a tiny bit. He freaked out, "Oh my god..."

Peridot let out a squeak. She knew she herself would be okay though, but these two.. humans.. wouldn't be! so she shouted, "These waves are the dangerous obstacles!"

Stan frowned then, looking at the compass. The one thing that wasn't going completely haywire. He sped up the ship, just a little bit more, until something flitted past them, causing a wave to crash onto the ship.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" barked Stan, unable to hear anything except the horrible storm.

"I.. I don't know..." Ford shivered, horribly drenched, more than he had been. But that was the least of his problems. Of all their problems.

Peridot saw it, however. Or _her_. Both of them. She hoped they didn't see her. Probably not though. They both looked too concentrated, too distracted. The green Gem took a deep breath once they got far enough away, and yelled, "We can't keep going like this! we have to turn this vehicle around! these waves are going to be your deaths if you don't!"

Ford silently agreed, squeezing the edge of the boat more. Though Bill Cipher would be loose another day... if they died, and if the ship sank, there would be no one, and nothing, to stop him.

Permanently.

He sighed.

Stan sighed too, wanting to protest, but ended up turning the boat around. He started to bring them out of the storm—following those crazy waves of the Gems who passed them. It was a lot easier to turn back than to keep going, and they soon left the vicious storm behind. They entered an area of soft, gentle, though still pouring, rain. Peridot sat behind the safe just then, hiding. She felt no relief. Ford raised an eyebrow at this. What was she doing that for?

"Ford," Stan began, unknowingly cutting through his thoughts, "you're the new lookout. Peridot, you're on bucket duty. Get down into the lower levels of the ship and bail out water. There'll be some buckets down there."

Ford nodded, snapping his attention off this, "Alright."

He got up, and took off his glasses, rubbing them clean and dry before he donned them again. It was rather pointless. They just got kinda wet again, but it was better than before. The scientist wandered the boat, keeping close attention to the slightly calm waters and their surroundings.

Peridot muttered, and got up, still crouched down. The Gem looked around, and soon saw a hatchet that probably led down to the lower levels Stan mentioned. She walked over, and opened it, frowning, and said this vague warning before she traveled down it, "Don't follow those waves..."

And then Ford was left slightly confused, but still focused on his new task. What did she mean by that..? aside from the literal sense?

But Stan was, unknowingly. And he kept going, not seeming to have heard. Or, more accurately, did not understand. Ford frowned softly, looking at these waves carefully. He looked over at his brother, worriedly, and sighed, deciding to heed Peridot's warning, even if he didn't understand it yet. His experiences in Gravity Falls taught him never to take a warning with a grain of salt, no matter how nonsensical such admonitions may be or may look. So he instructed, hands now behind his back, "Take a turn, Stanley."

Peridot climbed down the ladder, and her feet splashed in some water, about knee-deep, when she touched down. She frowned softly, and looked around for the "buckets" Stan mentioned. The Gem found them, and smiled, going to retrieve them. And so she started to scoop up the water, using one finger for each bucket to make things go faster, and dump them out of the boat. She felt a little relieved now. At least here she wouldn't be seen. But eventually she'd have to go back up to report to one of those semi-clones.

Yes. Peridot still had trouble wrapping her mind around the whole "brother" thing, which Ford thankfully at least tried to explain more specifically during the safer, more relaxing parts of the trip. But her thoughts soon drifted back onto her worries. She shuddered at the prospect of getting spotted by those Gems.

Stanley frowned, "But what if that was Bill?"

He did slow down just a little, knowing it was a bad idea to get too far from their destination—they just needed to stay out of the storm. Ford frowned softly as well. He hummed, "It _does_ seem a little strange, the storm... and I almost thought for a while that Cipher might have done this... but I had received a warning about it, and the weather systems aren't quite apt to pick up on chaotic phenomena, and so quickly. However, I honestly didn't think it would have been _that_ bad..."

He looked back. The storm was still raging. It looked oddly sublime. And incredibly strange, since all you had to do was backtrack a few yards and you'd be stuck in it again. But that was how the weather worked anyway. It could be incredibly sunny in one area, and a few inches away it could be raining like crazy. It wasn't something that occurred just in Gravity Falls. Stan sighed and stopped the ship, "Then what do we do? stay here?"

"i guess that's what we'll have to do..." Ford bowed his head. "I'm not risking our lives..."

Even though facing Bill definitely would be risking their lives. But he was more or less talking about _before_ they got to face Bill. Peridot soon came back up, not tired at all, and announced, "I did it! I removed all the water from the lower levels."

Stan didn't seem to hear her. He was staring at the stormy area. He said, "The storm isn't that bad anymore..."

It seemed to be letting up, to him.

"Really..?" Ford frowned, still looking at it. It still looked awfully bad to him, where the waves were concerned. Peridot sighed, and looked where they were both looking. She was on Ford's side. The rain may have let up, but the waves hadn't.

"Okay, maybe not. But I think we should go..." Stan seemed antsy to get this over with.

"And I don't think we should..." the scientist stated, frowning a little.

"Yeah, let's just stay here!" Peridot suggested, getting over the fact that she was ignored. It happened almost all the time on Homeworld, in fact. Why was she reacting any differently here?

"Fine. But if Bill destroys the world because you guys were afraid of some rain, it's not my fault!" Stan quipped.

Ford scrunched up his face, "Some rain? some _rain_?! did you _feel_ those waves, Stanley? they were going to flip us over! and we wouldn't be able to stop Bill if the quantum destabilizer was lost at sea!"

Peridot then added, grimacing, "Or if you guys got sha—I mean, dead."

She didn't know who Bill was at all, but, judging by how these two often talked about him, she wanted to stop him too. But they couldn't because of the storm. Stan considered their words, and nodded. He frowned, "Well... we're not doing anyone any good just sitting here like this! can't we just navigate around the storm?"

His brother put a hand on his chin, "Maybe we could do that..."

The unnaturally tall Gem was on it, and brought up her screen, trying to look for a way around it. She hummed. Ford stared at her, hoping she'd find some route they could take. Stan turned off the engine with a sigh. And Stan was both right and wrong to turn off the engine. Peridot frowned, "The storm surrounds the region we need to reach. We can't bypass it."

Ford sighed, "I was afraid of that."

And then his stomach growled slightly. He was afraid of that too. And they didn't even stock up. He saw no need to do so. But he was again proven wrong. He sat down, still eyeing the storm, and then stuffed his hands into his face.

"We could dock somewhere close to it and just walk the rest of the way there, right?" Stan suggested.

Ford nodded, "Yes. That's exactly what I had in mind. We're going to have to stop for some food though."

Peridot smiled slightly, putting away her screen, "We could go back to _that_ place! it's relatively close to where you want to go."

And the old man paled slightly. He didn't like that place—Ocean Town. It was too creepy. Even more than Gravity Falls was. Because, in Gravity Falls, at least the townsfolk were lively.

"Yes, but couldn't we find somewhere... closer?" Stan didn't want to walk that far.

Ford brought his hands out from his face and looked out across the sea some more. He saw a little strip of land. And then smiled a little. Maybe there'd be some restaurants in there. He pointed to it, "We could park over there."

Peridot glanced at it, and frowned. That was the same place the Gems had gone—she remembered. The crazy waves they created led straight there. She made her little sounds of disapproval, before she uttered, "Uhh, maybe we shouldn't..."

"I agree with Stanford. We should keep making progress," Stan smiled, and started up the engine again. "Two to one, we win."

"There's dangerous stuff over there though!" the green Gem warned once again, growing incredibly antsy. Her still wet hair was becoming frazzled somehow. Ford glanced over at her, and grew a little uneasy. But they had their weapons. And he was hungry. They couldn't just sit there and wait for the storm to let up, and he wasn't willing to go back to Ocean Town.

"Like what? we face dangerous stuff all the time, my nerdy bro and I. And we're about to face something so dangerous it could destroy the multiverse. So nothing over there could be more dangerous than that," Stan argued, with a sigh.

"It's dangerous to _me_!" she yelped, and then added as an afterthought, "and to you! your weapons will not be enough! just find someplace else, _please_!"

Ford remained quiet, pursing his lips and alternating his gaze between his brother and Peridot. He didn't know which side to support anymore.

"Give me a solid reason. What are you so afraid of?" he was considering it again.

Peridot took a deep breath to calm herself down, and replied, "There are others like me—Gems. I ran away from my home planet. Now they're after me..."

She sat down brokenly, hugging her knees again and staring down at the floor. Ford's eyes were wide. If it wasn't still raining, he'd have gotten out his Journal and written this down. But those were skewed priorities. He had to get himself more concerned over the fact that Peridot, and by extension he and his brother, was in danger, than the fact that there were more like her. It wasn't hard, however. Stan was a little shocked. He asked, "Then... why don't you face them? and how, exactly, do you know they're there?"

"Because they'll capture me... and I know they're there because I saw them... when that one large wave came up on the ship..." Peridot answered, eyes wide.

Ford frowned, eyebrow rising, "And you didn't tell us..?"

"I didn't want to worry you any more than you already were!" the Gem defended herself. "And they didn't see us, so that's a good sign."

The scientist's frown stayed, but he nodded. His stomach growled again, slightly louder, but still unnoticeable to everyone else on the boat.

"Well, we could go onto the land, and you could stay here with the ship, couldn't you? and then, once we eliminated Bill, we'd come back. All you'd have to do is stay put," the ex-thief offered.

"I'd go along with that.. but there's a tiny problem..." the green alien frowned.

"And that is..?" Ford's eyebrow rose higher.

"They may capture and interrogate you guys," she answered. "Tactic number one of searching for a fugitive is catching and interrogating _anyone_ if they exhibit even a _speck_ of suspicious activity, which, might I add, is highly subjective." That didn't seem too bad, until the Gem said, "And they hate organic life too..."

And if this Jasper was any like the others, she'd waste no time in trying to kill these two if she caught them and they yielded no answers. And, possibly, even if they _did_. Peridot had no idea about the other Gem though, but she assumed she was the same way. Stan's brother's eyes were wide.

"Well... that settles it... let's just sit here until that storm clears up," Stan turned off the engine again. "Poindexter, wanna teach Peridot to play Poker?"

Ford frowned. He was getting hungry. But he supposed this would distract him from it. Besides, Gems could move. And they were probably at Ocean Town after all this time. So he nodded, a smile touching his lips, "Of course."

Peridot was grateful for this. No one here was in danger anymore. But now she was confused, and she stared at them with slightly wide eyes and raised eyebrows. She then asked, "What's a 'poker'?"

She was sure it wasn't what she thought it was, though.

"We have much to discuss," Stan said, deadly serious, staring at her now as he slowly pulled out a deck of cards. Thankfully, the rain here had calmed down to the point of sprinkles, so these cardboard papers were safe from ruin, but the storm behind them raged on. Peridot looked at these cards, and tilted her head, still hopelessly confused. She almost thought they lost their minds. What could those pieces of paper do?

Ford's smile slowly evolved into a grin, for once dropping the serious attitude. They were going to have fun playing Poker. They needed a break like this anyway...

* * *

 **A/N:** And here it is! I hope you enjoyed it! Ace had Stan, and I had Ford and Peridot! wooo, so exciting, isn't it? here you get a little more insight on why Peridot fled Homeworld. But it's still not explicit. However, if you squint your eyes and look deeper, you'll catch it. XP And I'm not giving any more hints. Also, there's a sort of parallel here, traced all the way back to Chapter Ten. I'll see if you can spot it.

Anyway, leave a lengthy review, and I'll see you next Wednesday or Thursday with the next one!


	42. Discorded

**A/N:** Wow, guys. We're on Chapter Forty-Two, already. My god. XD  
So I got a review from an anonymous person. I shall respond.

/Guest: Well, thank you so much! and it's not just me writing this. It's an RP converted into a story. And I'm glad you liked the insight to Ford and Stan. And I actually don't have a deadline for this. I don't really impose deadlines, to be honest. And I understand what you said. Thank you. But don't worry - I'm not that kinda author. I'm the kinda author who tries their best to continue a story, only not doing it because I lost steam or the actual papers/notes. But thanks. This story is already kinda pre-written already. :3

Anyway, we're back to another perspective you all know too well, but this chapter... well, it'll knock your socks off - the shock. So I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Forty-Two: "Discorded"**

Gabriel got up, and was surprised not to see darkness surrounding him. Because that's literally all he dreamed. He cracked his knuckles, which was completely unnecessary, and scanned the scene around him—and remembered what he'd done. He sighed.

Bill was still awake, not able to go back to sleep. He felt a little antsy. He was still thinking something horribly wrong was going to happen, and he needed to be ready for it. So he snapped into existence a little snack—cheese, ham and crackers—and started eating at them. He glanced at Steven every now and then. The boy was still asleep. Gabriel thought he should wake Steven up, perhaps, frowning slightly.

The triangle frowned softly at this. Usually Steven was somewhat a morning person. He had no qualms waking up at unholy hours of the day before. However, the thought that the boy was probably awfully tired from Monday's events didn't even cross his mind. He finished eating, unknowingly deciding to try and do Gabriel's job for him, and put a hand on Steven's arm, shaking it slightly, "Hey, kid. Wake up! it's finally Tuesday!"

Steven woke up, groaning. He kinda glared at Bill for a second, "Why'd you have to wake me up?" he looked tired, still. And a little bit angry.

The demon blinked a little bit, looking a little confused, "Because you usually wake up at this time...?"

He was concerned too, and a little afraid, but much more shocked and bewildered. Steven wasn't usually like this. Steven got up, and stretched a little, yawning, "Well, maybe I wanted to sleep in. Ever considered that?" he walked downstairs, looking once at Gabe and then turning up his nose. "I'm not even going to ask. Not even going to ask."

He went to the fridge almost immediately. The star floated up next to Bill.

"Uh, Bill? what's wrong with the human?" Gabriel seemed a little scared too.

"I... I don't know.." Bill frowned, joining Gabriel downstairs as he watched the boy. Maybe this was a bad day?

He sighed.

No. Steven would usually smile and continue to be kind in the face of bad days. He found it funny that the boy was starting to behave more like a regular human being the moment he started to understand. But this was the least of his problems. The feeling was coming true. Something incredibly wrong had indeed occurred, but what..? he narrowed his eye, "Mm..."

Steven angrily poured himself a bowl of cereal. He looked up at the two dream demons, growing even angrier that they were examining him like that, and growled slightly, "Do you mind?"

"Who broke him?" Gabriel asked, looking away, hiding behind Bill.

Bill glared back, not afraid one bit, even if Steven had the power to destroy him. He wasn't afraid to die, actually. Not anymore. He didn't really answer his brother, not knowing the answer to that at the moment,—he was going to figure it out though—but he, sighing, answered Steven, the glare softening, "Yeah. What's your problem, kid?"

"Other than you? I don't really know," he refused to look at Bill now, focusing only on eating, and making unneeded scraping noises with his spoon.

The demon scoffed, hiding how hurt that made him. He was slowly figuring this out, and glanced back at Gabriel. He asked, frowning and ignoring the noise, "What could I have possibly done to you to warrant this, kid? seriously. This isn't like you."

And it really wasn't. The boy was nice, so incredibly nice, even when the demon was being a jerk. Well, more than a jerk, actually. Steven just didn't have a mean bone in his body. Something had to have happened, starting last night. And it was starting to click. But he needed a little more proof. Steven outright ignored him, continuing to eat. Bill blinked, and then floated over, "I know you heard me, kid! tell me right now."

He braced himself for this. He swore that the raging storm outside was making the feeling much worse.

"I don't know—you just have done all this shit and I'm really fed up with it!" he sighed.

The demon's eye was wide. More at the fact that the boy actually cursed. Pearl wouldn't be happy, and neither was he. He sighed, drooping slightly, "A..and I'm sorry... I'm trying, kid, okay? I really am.."

Maybe it wasn't what he was thinking. Maybe it _was_ what he'd done. He'd put the boy through a lot these past couple of days.

...or was it both? he wasn't sure.

"I... I don't really care. I've been trying, too, okay? probably a lot harder than you have!" Steven shot back. Bill's eye widened farther.

Gabriel went up to Steven then, "Hey, kid, calm down. It's alright, we're all friends here—"

"SHUT UP!" he blew up and glared at the star intensely, "WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?!"

Gabriel's eye widened, and he withered under the glare. "I thought..." he turned away, tears gathering in his eye.

Bill gasped, and frowned. He patted Gabriel on the back, the closest thing to an actual hug, and stated, "Okay, something's wrong here. I know what this is... and it's going to get fixed. Somehow."

He floated off, trying his best not to act like he was hurt. He had no jurisdiction to be. The kid was not himself right now. And neither was Gabriel, as a matter of fact. The things that finally hit the nail in the coffin for him? Steven _always_ cared. He never shouted like that for no reason. And he never— _rarely_ —thought of things like a competition. Especially things like this. Whereas Gabriel.. was somewhat the opposite of that. He hummed. Maybe Pyronica would know what to do. Gabriel kept staring at Steven, really hurt, and Steven kept glaring at Gabriel. It looked highly unnatural on the boy, as well as those dark eyes.

"This is all my fault, isn't it?" asked Gabe, sadly.

"Well, of course it is. You're useless," Steven shrugged.

"And you're not Steven, are you? no... you're me. And I'm Steven? wait..." Gabe frowned.

"You sound really stupid, you know? maybe you should just shut up."

So Gabriel did, and floated away, pretending he wasn't going to go sulk and cry alone. Bill floated over to the couch, unable to take this any longer. But he didn't want to make this worse by yelling at Steven. He remembered one of the verses after all. He called, "Pyronica..? you awake yet?"

And then he stiffened, remembering what happened last night once more. Oh, he _hoped_ she wasn't mad. She awoke just then, holding her head, and looked up at him, "Hey... Bill..." and then she saw Gabe behind him, sobbing in a corner. She could only stare, and then ask, "Uh... what happened? why aren't I in the Void? and why is Gabe right there?"

He took a deep breath, and smirked a little, though it was mirthless, "Funny thing.." and then he explained what happened last night, and then said, "ya see, Gabriel and Steven seemed to have switched personalities. They probably were in sync for too long for the 'exorcism' to work properly."

He glanced back at Gabe, and then at Steven, frowning again. He wanted his friend back. Even if it meant Gabriel had to be Gabriel again. That was just the way things had to be.

"Switched personalities? is that actually possible?" she took one good look at each of them, and realized it was. "I... wow. So, wait, you let Gabe use my power, as well as your own, to make a body for him?" she raised an eyebrow. "You do realize, if he was himself, he probably would have killed you or something?"

"Yeah... I realized that..." Bill sighed. "But that's not important right now... I want my friend back, okay? this is interrupting the balance of nature. This is _not_ right."

And he used to be all for chaos.

"How do you think I'm supposed to fix it? does it look like I know about this sort of thing?" she was kinda freaking out.

"I was hoping you did actually, cause I have no idea!" Bill was, for the third time in his current life, really and truly afraid. This was the first time something like this had actually happened in history. He was afraid it'd never get fixed, and Steven would forever be a jerk. And then he thought maybe it'd mellow out with time... but then it might actually worsen. He plopped down onto the couch next to Pyronica, and curled up.

Pyronica stared at Steven, who continued to eat. With the way he was going, he was going to end up eating the entire box.

"I... I think I could try something. But it might do more harm than good..." she glanced at Gabriel, who was still crying in the corner, asking himself, over and over, what he had done wrong. She sighed, and shook her head, looking down as she continued, "We could try to fuse them again... that might result in a neutralization of their personalities. But, of course, it could drive them both to insanity. You never know..."

Bill sighed, and unfurled himself. He didn't want to do this, but they had to. This wasn't how things were supposed to work, and he wanted his friend back. He frowned, staring at the two, "Well, we're gonna try it, of course. I have to fix this."

It would probably lead to another fight with Gabriel. But he was sure when he defeated him this time, he'd be gone for good. But, at the same time, he didn't _want_ to fight his brother...

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's a cliffhanger for ya, isn't it? hehe! and, after several chapters set on Monday.. it's finally Tuesday. XD  
So, Ace had Steven and Gabriel and Pyronica, and I had Bill. XD  
There are some references in here. I'll leave ya to it to spot them. If you do, you get a virtual cookie. :3  
So leave a lengthy review! I'll update again next week!


	43. The Signal

**A/N:** THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES HAVE BEEN RESOLVED! REJOICE! YEE! so.. let me explain the reason for the severely long hiatus. The laptop suffered a BSOD while I was still in school/college, so I couldn't take it to be fixed or anything. But several months later, summer vacation starts and I had chances to try and fix it, and I've tried, but given up. I'll admit, the procrastinating afterwards was my fault, but better late than never, right?  
Turns out, the laptop needed a new hard drive, and it costed a lot of money to get that repaired. So my mom and I just got a new one from the repair shop today. And since all of my files were on my previous computer, I had to copy and paste this from Google Plus, as I'll be doing for the rest of the chapters from here on in until it's caught up. ;3;

There were some Guest reviewers.  
Unknown: Thank you, and I don't plan on rushing. The chapters are already prewritten anyway.

XENARKU: Heheh, that's cool. I should give Gamechops Megalovania a listen. Glad it fit Chapter 16.

Cat: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked what we did. Hopefully you'll like this one too.

So here's "part two" of the last chapter - Chapter Forty-Three! it continues _right_ off from it, so I had to add something in the beginning to make it seem like a new chapter began. XD I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Forty-Three: The Signal**

So, with the plan set, they were ready to pull it off. They had to fix this. Pyronica stood up tall, "Steven, Gabriel, over here now."

"No one can tell," Steven took a breath, "me what to do."

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Gabriel, however, ran over immediately, shaking all over. He wiped his eye, getting rid of the tears.

"Steven, get over here," Bill frowned, levitating off the couch and staring at the boy.

"Nope!" the kid smirked, "I don't have to do anything you say!"

"What if Garnet were here, huh? what if she asked you?" Pyronica stared at him.

For a second, it seemed, the boy's look softened, before it darkened again, and he looked down. "But she's _not_ , so that doesn't matter."

Unnecessary clinking noises followed that. Bill suddenly got an idea. He slowly smiled on the inside. He transmitted his thoughts to Pyronica, _I'm gonna go get Garnet. If ya know what I mean..._

Pyronica gave a quick, barely noticeable nod. "Steven... listen to me. Something has happened to you. Something horrible. And you can get it fixed. All you have to do is cooperate. That's all I'm asking, alright?" she stared at him.

Bill floated up to the Warp Pad, and activated it without having to transform into a Gem this time, going to the Galaxy Warp. He knew Steven wouldn't agree. The boy just needed a little nudge in the right direction. So he duplicated himself, and then transformed himself into the Crystal Gem's de-facto leader and fusion. Birnet looked at himself, and smirked at his still triangular clone, who smirked back. This was perfect.

Steven didn't say a word back. He was now ignoring the flame lady. She got angry, and grabbed him, picking him up off the ground, and he barely reacted. "Listen to me, kid! I know you're a good person, somewhere in there. So snap out of this!" she put her hands on his head, and dove into his mind. She was horrified by what she saw there—or, rather, what she _didn't_ see there.

Bill came back through the Warp Pad at that moment, eye wide at the sight. He was immediately followed by Birnet, who had that usual neutral frown on his face. Birnet looked across the room, and announced, adjusting his shades, "I had a feeling I was right to think I needed to check on you. Bill told me I was needed here."

The clone nodded, and then warped back, with the "false" reasoning that he needed to get away. Birnet really wanted to get away right now, and rest his heart. But he needed to fix this. And this time, he'd bail and come back as himself when it was time. Pyronica then dropped Steven—who picked himself back up and slightly glared at her—and backed away.

"Uh, Bill... a word, please?" she whispered, looking absolutely horrified.

"Garnet? what are you doing here?" Steven looked confused.

 _This is going to work..._ the shapeshifted demon said. _I'm gonna make sure of it this time._

Birnet looked over at Steven, "I came back to check on you. You should listen to Pyronica."

 _No, you don't understand, Bill... I went into the kid's head, and..._ she seemed unwilling to finish that thought.

"I... I don't really want to. She's mean and bad. Don't you know they're demons? they're literally evil..." he was only acting, it seemed.

"E-evil? y-you... you told me to shut up..." Gabriel seemed very offended, and scared still. But also confused.

 _And what..?_ Birnet frowned softly, stepping over to the flame demon and Gabriel, still looking at Steven.

"You can trust me, Steven," he nodded, pretending he wasn't hurt by this. He knew it was possibly an act. And he needed to continue the charade anyway. The fusion then continued, "All of the possibilities I See happening are good."

 _There was nothing there, Bill. It's like the Void's in Steven's head, or something..._

Gabriel caught this psychic message, and gasped, _Oh no... so that's where it went..._

"I don't see anything," Steven refused to look at her anymore.

His eyes widened beneath his visor, _Oh no... what should we do **now** , then?_

Gabriel fidgeted, looking uncomfortable, _Well, all the time I was in the Void, I was soaking up this Void energy or whatever, and it kinda became a part of me. Like a tumor. But somehow I passed it onto Steven when we fused... and got rid of it._

Pyronica took a deep breath, and let it out, _Come on, why does everything have to keep getting more and more complicated?_

Steven frowned. "But I want to! show me, Garnet. I want to see the futures that you see." He turned his gaze directly onto her again, and shouted a few seconds later, "SHOW ME, I SAID!"

Birnet frowned. This was grating on his nerves. How the hell was this shit happening to him? to them? was he naturally bad luck? his parents almost always sai—and then he felt his eyes well up. No. No, not now. He took a deep breath, evaporating the tears, and stepped forward, the frown deepening, "I'll show you what I see, Steven. But you're missing a little, important word. And you seem to have also forgotten that I'm the de-facto leader."

 _Believe me, I'd rather be in the Void right now, if it meant sparing you guys from all this. I mean... this is all my fault to begin with_ , Gabriel shrugged, and sat down, and didn't cry this time.

"What are you even talking about?" Steven seemed too upset to listen to reason.

"The 'P' word. You always used it before," Birnet replied. He glanced at Gabriel, and set a hand on his approximation of a shoulder. Perhaps that's what had to happen. But how could they get the Void out from the boy's head?

The boy looked startled, "I don't... I don't understand. Why don't I understand?"

Birnet stared sadly at Steven underneath that visor. He saw so much of his pre-empathy self in Steven right now. And it hurt, mostly because Steven in general reminded him of... and he stopped his thoughts right there. He sighed and eventually stated, "I know you'll understand soon, Steven."

"No... I lost something, didn't I? what did I lose?" he looked around the room, thinking. Trying to get it.

 _This isn't going to work, guys. You saw how I was like. Steven's going to become like that, too, and we're wasting time we could be using to try to cure it..._

 _Wait.. I think I'm getting through to him..._ Bill frowned a little. However, are we sure that the fusion will actually work..?

"Empathy, Steven," Birnet answered, sighing. "You lost your empathy, and what made you.. you. You need to try and get it back. And we need you to cooperate."

"I don't... I don't think I can," he looked down, and his eyes darkened again. "No. I don't want to."

Pyronica and Gabriel exchanged glances, thinking.

 _Guys...?_ Birnet's frown deepened. He stepped forward again, "Well, that's too bad. I need my little cutie pie back."

He picked the boy up the way Garnet usually does, restraining him like that. He would usually feel embarrassed acting this way, since Pyronica and Gabriel were right there. But he was acting as Garnet, and he needed to keep up that charade. Besides, he really did miss Steven. The boy glared up at her.

"Garnet, you don't understand. This change—it's a good thing. This is who I'm really supposed to be!" he shouted.

 _Told you_ , Gabe said, in not a sarcastic, mean way, but in a sad one.

"No, it's not. I won't allow it! your mother certainly wouldn't either," Birnet almost slipped into his normal voice, but he kept it up. He was almost crying.

 _Then let's do this thing!_ the demon shouted, growing angry and impatient.

"She's not here right now! I'm here, and I'm what matters! you just... you don't get it. I can finally be someone amazing and you want to take that away from me!"

Gabriel floated up to Steven, "Look at me, Steven. I know this seems like who and what you are now. But it's just the Void. It does that to people. You have to fight it. You have to be better. I'm not nearly as strong as you, Steven. But I'm certain you can do it," he stared at the kid, and he stared right back.

"I... I don't believe you," and, around Steven, expanding from the boy, was one of his signature pink bubbles. But it changed. It turned pitch black, forcing Birnet to let go. He fell, but he was within the protection of the bubble.

The shapeshifted demon's eyes were wide, but none of them would be able to see. His mouth was wide open, and he whispered as he stared at this dark bubble, "Steven..."

 _Now what do we do? he's not listening to reason, our powers are useless against this, and it would blow my cover_ , he asked them both, frowning deeply. Pyronica, for some reason, was pretty silent.

Gabriel shook himself, _Uh, give up? no, wait, that's a bad idea... maybe... maybe I can take the Void back?_ he didn't really like that idea. He had just gotten back from his trillion-year exile, and he had no obligation to return to it any time soon. But he'd do what he had to. He had to make this up.

Birnet bowed his head. He sighed. Apparently, his whole household was bad luck. But, really, what else would one expect from a name like Nolis?

He thought, for a second, to take the Void into himself instead, just so Gabriel could be spared. He did this, after all. Nothing would have happened if he stayed a statue. Everyone would be better off without him. Those tears flowed, and he frowned, suggesting, _What if **I** did it instead...?_

 _No, Bill, we just got reunited..._ Gabriel stared at him, disheartened almost. _It's my responsibility, the Void. Not yours..._

 _No, I'll take it,_ Pyronica offered. _I don't belong in this universe, this world. Not like this._

 _It'll drive you insane... and you won't be able to ever come back,_ Gabriel frowned, staring at her now.

Birnet sighed, _**Someone** has to do it... who's it going to be..?_

He wanted it to be him. He really did. It'd be a glorious, heroic, sacrificial way to go, for good. Everything would be right in the world. Steven would be back, and Gabriel and Pyronica would live. And he was sure his parents would be happy, and proud of him, wherever they were. That flow of tears increased just then, and it took all he could not to break down, took all he could not to lose this form.

 _I'm going to do it, both of you. I've done nothing in my life worth anything, and I don't fit in here. So let me do it, please. Let me finish what I was trying to start,_ Pyronica almost pleaded, looking at them both.

Gabriel nodded, _I understand._

The shapeshifted demon's frown deepened, and his lips upturned into a slight snarl. He nodded reluctantly, _Fine..._ and then stepped back, ready to summon his gauntlets if he needed. He wiped away his tears, but he was still shaking. He didn't want anyone else to go. But if this was how it had to be...

Steven's bubble popped, suddenly, and revealed a very different Steven. He had some lines—like bracelets around his wrists and arms, and two marks, stretching from above his ears to his checks, tapering and swirling. His eyes were completely dark and cold. But that wasn't all. There was...

..his gem, which had gotten uncovered for a while. It was... pitch black.

Gabriel was frozen, staring. Pyronica, too, had no idea what to do. Birnet gasped, eyes wide, "S..Steven..?"

This wasn't Steven, though. Not anymore. And he wondered why no one was moving. Was it too late now? he hoped that wasn't the case.

" _ **Steven is a stupid name. Idiotic, naive**_ ," his voice was unnaturally deep.

"G-get out of Steven! it's me you want! I've got more power, and I already... I already belong to you! please!" Gabe pleaded, crying.

" _ **You're not of use to me anymore, Gabriel. Your time has come and left, and you have failed me**_."

Birnet frowned, "Start the process already! we don't have much time left! make it go back!"

Pyronica then jumped at Steven. But he put up a solid black shield before she could even touch him, " _ **Oh, and you. You think**_ **you** _ **could take me on? ha, you couldn't even handle me for a couple of hours, and I hadn't even been in your head yet. What makes you think you could live the rest of your existence like that, huh**_?"

It was like he was just playing with them. Gabriel recognized this.

"Stop it," Birnet growled at the possessed boy, and stepped forward, position somewhat neutral. He didn't want to fight. He wanted to find a peaceful resolution. It was what Steven would want.

"Wait, wait, why are you staying with the boy?"

The Void chuckled, " _ **He wants**_ **me** _ **here. Not as a burden. He thinks that he can change anyone. He wants to change a pure force, a god-like entity. Even if he does try his hardest, it's not enough**_."

"No... Steven's strength alone isn't enough, is it?" Gabriel had an idea forming.

Bill felt this idea, and slowly smiled, _I see you're thinking of something, brother... I think we might be on the same page... for once in a trillion years..._

He lost the form, settling into his default triangular frame, still smirking. The fact that Steven was actually trying to reform the Void was a relief to him; as if he expected anything less. But the boy couldn't do it on his own. They had to help him out.

" _ **I already know what you're planning, Gabriel. You do realize that you cannot stop me. I still own you**_ ," warned the Void.

"No, you don't! I'm going to beat you!" he ran towards Steven, grinning, until he suddenly stopped. The bands around each of his points—they halted him, held him right there. And even began to push him back.

" _ **I told you—you still belong to me, even if you are a complete failure**_."

Bill glanced over at the star, concerned, but kept smirking, and he began levitating towards the boy. The Void wouldn't even be able to control him. He called out, "Hey, Steven! kid! buddy, pal o' mine! I know you're in there somewhere! I'm going to try and help you!"

" _ **Oh, and finally, you. I've been waiting for a long time to have a chat with you**_ ," the Void laughed, just for a moment, eyes glinting. " _ **Do you remember that day? the Burning Day, the day where you finally got vengeance on your home for your mistreatment? do you remember, your second-in-command, planning to stab you in the back, and catching him? do you remember... that moment... that immeasurable moment, when you held him, and whisked him away, to somewhere he could rot for the rest of his time**_?"

Gabriel's eye widened. He certainly remembered that moment. That Burning Day. Bill's eye twitched. He remembered as well, almost like it was yesterday, and nodded, "Yes. I do. I'm no longer proud..."

" _ **That is not what I'm talking about. It does not matter, you do not remember. But, in that moment, when you banished your brother, you created a prison, to hold him**_ ," he chuckled again.

"Enough talk!" Pyronica called again, rushing at him once more. This time, he didn't put up a shield. He grabbed her, and flung her right at Gabe—who really couldn't do a thing to protect himself. The two fell behind Bill, groaning and aching from the violence.

He glanced behind himself, for a moment, and winced at their pain. He looked back at the possessed boy.

"So I created you, huh...?" the demon frowned. He was getting another idea.

" _ **In a sense, yes. It was also Gabriel, who persisted on believing he couldn't be alone—projecting his personality into the depths of the place**_ ," the Void smirked a little. " _ **But neither of you have the power to control me. And even together you would not be able to control me**_."

"But what if we had a third or fourth hand..?" his eyebrow rose. That smirk was there again and it persisted. He thought it was funny. The Void was actually giving him ideas. It was like it wanted to get defeated. He chuckled. And, maybe, he wouldn't be too far from the truth. _Steven_ was in there, after all.

" ** _I'd like to see you try, Nolis. I'd really like to see you try_** ," his eyes narrowed. He was enjoying this, taunting them.

"Quit it with the games! this isn't your domain—you can't do whatever you want to anyone here!" Gabriel shouted, and ran over to Bill. He was alarmed he was able to do so. "Okay, Bill... let's fuse."

Bill looked at him, and eventually nodded. He grabbed a hold of Gabriel's hand, and they were soon enveloped in a bright light. The Void watched, analyzing every move, calculating every possibility. And the starred triangle was welcomed into the world. He opened his eye, and stared at his hands, and then at the possessed boy. He grinned, "Just another warning: leave now. We won't have to fight."

He laughed, " _ **Even if I wanted to leave, I can't. This boy really wants to reform me—poor kid. Kinda like you, Gabe**_."

The fusion frowned at this. Pyronica ran forward, finally recovering, to Gabill, "Can I help in any way? do you guys... have a plan?"

He glanced at the flame demon and nodded, "Yes, we do. We're going to help Steven, and we need another hand."

Pyronica nodded as well. Gabill took a deep breath. He tried to set a psychic link into Steven's mind, and called out, _Hey, kid?_

There was a very faint signal. Too faint to understand. The fusion recognized this, and kept talking, _We're going to try and help you, pal! just hang in there!_

Still too faint. It was clear the Void was suppressing it.

" _ **You think I want you to beat me, don't you? that's why I'm telling you all this? giving you so many clues. But I'm not. That's not the reason**_ ," he grinned. " ** _I want to see your faces when you realize that you're never going to get rid of me. That there's nothing you can do to stop me from doing what I plan to do_**."

Gabill hummed, "That's almost exactly what I told the Pines family... and they ended up beating me anyway. I hope we'll do the same to you!" and he dramatically pointed at the possessed boy.

The Void shook his head, " _ **You'd have to kill this kid to get me out of here, trust me. But I do appreciate your sentiment**_."

Gabill's eye widened. He didn't want to do that. No. There had to be another way. He glanced at Pyronica, "Is there a way you can boost the signal Steven's giving off..?"

If this didn't work, they'd have to get his dad or his best friend. Or both. And he didn't exactly feel like facing Connie right now. Or Greg for that matter.

"Maybe... I'll try..." she approached Steven again, trying to use her power to reach him. Something happened, just for a moment. The symbols, the gem—they all returned to normal, just for a single second, a little less. Pyronica's eye widened—she realized she had done that.

" _ **Look like you found my secret weakness, right? wrong. It's only temporary, as long as you concentrate, that you're able to reach him**_ ," it was odd. The Void almost seemed... sad. Guilty, maybe?

"Well, suppose we'll have to concentrate for a while longer!" Gabill noticed this. It seemed, for all the Void's talk, that Steven was actually starting to break through and reform it. Like he said, they just had to help him. He began concentrating too, trying to reach Steven and boost his signal, and muttered, "Let's do it together this time..."

" _ **It's a shame. This kid is so young, so naive, and has done nothing wrong at all. Yet he won't let go of me. It's a shame he, of all people, has to enact my plan**_."

Pyronica started concentrating too. The same thing happened—for a little bit longer. The fusion kept concentrating, the best he could, "He won't have to... whatever your plan is, it's going to stay down for good!" and then he started appealing to his friend again, "hey, kid! can you hear me?"

The boy was actually there now, not the Void. He noticed Gabill and seemed confused. "Uh... Bill? why do you look... like that?" he asked. Pyronica didn't stop concentrating in the slightest.

"Gabriel and I fused so we could save you!" Bill was mostly talking now, as he had been in the fusion for a while. They kept up the concentration. Just a little more, he reckoned. A few more minutes, maybe.

"Save me...?" he tilted his head, not understanding.

"Damn it, Steven, that voice you're keeping in your head that you're trying to reform is irredeemable. You have to let it go!" Pyronica stated, skipping straight to the point. She didn't know how much longer she could hold out like this.

"Or maybe it isn't..." the demon frowned softly. He couldn't shake the idea that the Void was just another victim in this crazy web. That sadness and guilt... he sighed, and then smiled a little, "We're giving you enough strength so that you can do what you do best, kid!"

"I-I don't understand. What am I supposed to do?" he stared at them.

"Let go of the Void. I'll take it and get rid of it for good!" Pyronica insisted.

"What if you don't _have_ to go like that, Pyronica? I think Steven is powerful enough, with all of us, to reform it. He reformed _me_ , after all!" the fusion grinned, throwing his arms into the air. He was still keeping up his concentration. He hoped Pyronica would catch onto this. He didn't want the kid to receive any more mixed messages.

"I... okay, maybe he's powerful enough. But what if he's not? what if all the power we're putting in is a waste?" she asked, frowning at the fusion.

"Guys..." Steven spoke up, "it doesn't want to be near me. It has this giant plan to, uh, destroy everything? but it doesn't want me to do that... if I let it go, it's going to find someone else..." he looked down.

Gabill's eye widened. So they dodged a bullet, with Pyronica. And with the triangle himself. It very well could have undone everything Steven did and send him on another destructive rampage. And the boy was strong enough. He was able to keep it in this house even when the Void was in control,—though, as he now knew, the Void didn't want the kid to be its harbinger in the first place—which was, nonetheless, a giant feat. He sighed, and then an idea crashed into him. He gasped, "What if we put the Void back where it came from? in the break of the Warp Stream?"

"How do we know that'd work?" Steven asked.

"When you let it go, where it belongs, it'll stay there. Then we come back, and destroy the Void for good," Pyronica affirmed.

Steven understood the need for its destruction. He nodded, "Let's do it, then..."

Gabill nodded, "Alright then! to the Warp Pad!" and then he ran off towards the teleportation platform, still concentrating. Steven, and Pyronica, did as well.

"This might be the last chance for you guys to talk to the Void, if you wanna do that. It's politely asking me if you would like to," the boy glanced at the flame lady and at the fusion.

Gabill nodded, but didn't drop his concentration, "Tell it it was nice knowing it. And, that if it wants to stop its plan now, it's got a last chance to do that."

His eyes widened. "It says 'thank you'. It recognizes it has no real place in this world anymore—the purpose it was made for has been served, and the reason lost. It also apologizes... for all the trouble it caused," he put them up then, through the warp. He halted it, mid-warp, putting the three of them into the void. And then he let the Void out.

Gabill smiled a little. The boy did it. They all did it. And, wow, did it feel _great_. He would have bitten his lip if he had any, and sighed of relief, and yet a little anxiously too. They were in the Void again, after all, and he assumed the risks were still there. He spoke then, to the darkness, "Your apology is accepted... and.. we're sorry too..."

Steven reconnected the Warp, and sent them home. Pyronica had nothing to say to the Void—and felt guilty about that...

* * *

 **A/N:** And there it is! whew, that was a long chapter; before you ask, I couldn't separate it in any way... so I hope you all enjoyed! Ace was Steven, Gabriel, Pyronica and the Void, and I had Bill and the special characters, Gabill and Birnet. XD There's a few references here. I wonder if you can spot them... but anyways, leave a lengthy review and I'll see you next Saturday or Thursday with the next one. :3


	44. One of the Worst is Over

**A/N:** To make up for the extremely long hiatus, I'm posting this chapter today. Get ready, guys, for one of the most intense chapters here. Chapter Forty-Four. This made Ace and I cry.  
So... **WARNING** : Possible Trigger Warning for Depression. And bring lots of tissues. I am not kidding.  
I hope you enjoy.

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Forty-Four: One of the Worst is Over**

Once they reached home, and stepped off the Warp Pad, the fusion separated into Bill and Gabriel again. The job was done after all, and the triangle, after the brief bout of grief passed, yelled happily before he attached himself to Steven in a hug, "Oh, kid! I missed you so much!"

He didn't care that his second-in-command and his brother were watching. He really didn't. He just cared that his friend was safe and sound once again. Steven snickered, "Really? wow... you really have changed, haven't you?"

"Oh, stop it, you!" the demon playfully quipped, grinning. He wasn't going to deny it this time.

Steven smiled, and hugged him, "I remember your first day here—you were really a jerk. Or, wait... I think that was your second day. Anyway... you've changed a lot since then, I think."

The demon sighed, "Yeah.. I was.. I'm glad I'm changing, quite frankly... before I didn't know what to think of this..." and smiled a little again, "but it's quite refreshing to get back into my old roots..." he frowned slightly, "and..." then looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry about it all, by the way..."

He hadn't known whether to love this or hate it, and he hated it a lot of the times he knew. But now? well, it made him feel good. His conscience wasn't eating away at him. If anything, it was _praising_ him. Of course, it'd only been a couple days—he still had a long way to go.

"It's okay..." the boy smiled.

"Good..." Bill smiled back. He glanced over at Pyronica and Gabriel, and a small blush crossed his frame. It was the embarrassment finally settling in. But he ignored it. Pyronica just gave a thumbs up. Gabriel seemed antsy. He chuckled, and he thought of Garnet just then. Her favorite system to show approval was a thumbs up. The triangle soon sighed, "So... what now..?"

He glanced out the window. It was still raining horribly, and a thunderclap sounded in the distance. So much for going outside. And then he, for some reason, thought of the school, and its fundraiser. It was probably still canceled, especially with this terrible storm. He wondered whether the students were happy about it.

"Well... I'd like to put everything behind us. For good," Gabriel said, staring at Bill.

"You mean 'destroy the Void'," Bill returned the gaze, letting go of Steven. It wasn't really a question. Besides, the Void had recognized it was a permanent fish out of water. And the longer it was here, the longer that part of the past wouldn't fully be resolved.

Gabriel nodded, "Let's do it, then..."

Bill nodded too, a grimly determined look on his eye. He held a hand out for his brother, not for fusion, but as a symbol that they were together in this. He looked at Pyronica and stated, "If we don't come back, I'm leaving it to you to look after the kid."

Pyronica was a little put-off by this, but nodded.

"I'm pretty sure we'll come back," Gabriel chuckled.

"Hopefully," Bill barely chuckled as well, however. He still had that feeling about him. That everyone would be better off. He impatiently wiggled his fingers, waiting for Gabe to grab his hand.

Gabriel took his hand, "Here we go..."

Steven watched them, excited.

"Yeah... here we go.." he took a deep breath, and then activated the Warp Pad. Gabriel waited, antsy again. He wondered if the Void would stop him again. If it'd try to control him now, instead of Steven. The thought scared him.

"Bill, if something happens to me... just do it without me, alright?" he asked, heart threatening to beat out of his chest. Then again, he didn't have a heart. Or a chest.

Bill nodded, "Of course... I'll try my best.. brother," and then he hugged his brother, for the first time in a trillion years, and what may be the last.

Gabriel hugged back immediately, "Alright. Let's do this, then."

The demon nodded, and let go, still holding Gabe's hand. He broke his concentration on the Warp Stream, and the light fizzled out into that overwhelming darkness of the Void. Gabriel stared out into it, shuddering. Bill, squeezing his brother's hand a little tighter as comfort, kept up that expression of grim determination, and started building up energy, the energy to destroy the Void for good. He was sure he'd be able to do this, especially since he had Gabriel by his side. If not, well... Pyronica would have to pick up the slack. And they had to do it fast.

Gabriel also put together energy to get rid of the Void, "Three..."

Bill started glowing, but also started shuddering. He was starting to feel it. But he fought it off the best he could. He narrowed his eye, "Two..."

"One..." Gabriel got ready to let go, to strike at the heart of what he considered evil.

"Zero!" and they released the energy, and it created a strong energy field that pulsed throughout the entire area.

However... the Void absorbed the energy, it seemed.

 ** _"You cannot destroy what does not exist. You cannot destroy nothing. I reside in all empty space, and only by filling it up would you be able to destroy me_**."

"Hoo boy..." Bill frowned. He began thinking. Filling up an empty space... he sighed. Guess someone was probably going to have to be sacrificed anyway... again, he wanted it to be him.

 ** _"And that's impossible anyway, because this place is infinite_** ," that booming voice told them, before either of the demons could suggest sacrificing themselves.

"Well, how are we supposed to do this then?" Bill glanced at Gabriel, who shrugged, uncertain.

 ** _"You might leave me here. There's little more you can do_** ," the Void sighed. Gabriel, only then, realized how stupid the concept of destroying, sealing off, the Void was. And Bill did too. They couldn't. They just had to leave this behind. And hope no one else got stuck here.

He sighed as well, "Welp.. guess you'll just have to stick around."

 ** _"Over time, I will lose who I am, until I become what I was before you gave me a personality—I will be empty space. But, Gabriel... you will inherit the power. You will not be the Void, but you will still be a part of it, and be able to call upon its power as needed. That is your curse_**."

Gabriel seemed confused, his brow furrowed.

"Woah... that's actually pretty cool," the triangle smirked slightly. He understood it pretty well, on the contrary. It really did pay to be a scholar.

 ** _"Now... both of you... leave. And, Gabriel, learn to control your power before you use it in a serious situation. It is a bit unstable_**."

Gabriel still seemed a little confused, but he nodded, and took Bill's hand, pleading a bit, "Uh, can we get out of here?"

He nodded. "Of course," he then waved to the Void, feeling more than a little awkward, and reactivated the Warp Stream, setting it to go back home, and then simply stated now that the embarrassment set in again, "Welp... that was kinda awkward..."

Gabriel nodded, and soon they appeared on the Warp Pad in the Beach House. Pyronica looked over at them, "How did it go?"

"Well, we couldn't destroy the Void..." Bill frowned a bit. He still thought it was awkward. The triangle glanced at Gabriel again.

"Why not?" Pyronica asked, confused.

"It said we couldn't destroy nothing... which makes sense.." the demon replied, to which the flame demon nodded. He then glanced around, looking for Steven.

"Steven ran off. He said something about a human named Greg? I don't know," she shrugged.

"Oh? that's his dad then," he smiled, which turned a little sour. And then suddenly his eye widened. It was storming brutally out there still. He briefly screamed, and then shouted, "Wait, WHAT?! you _let_ him go?!"

"He insisted on it—after his dad called him."

 _"Alone_?" he nearly hyperventilated, "in _that_?! no no no! I'm gonna go after him, make sure nothing happens to him!" and he started making his way for the door, to the stormy outdoors, "and you guys, stay here and watch over the house."

"Wait, lemme come with you!" Gabriel ran after Bill. "Or... eh... can I watch over the house from the outside?"

"You can watch it from the outside!" Bill opened the door and floated off the balcony, into the pounding rain. Gabriel levitated out onto the balcony, kinda thinking about what the Void had said.

Bill looked around. It was so dark out here, never mind the occasional lightning, so he turned on his eyelight and started down the soaked and drenched beach. Far ahead, something else was running. The demon picked up on this, and raised an eyebrow.

"Steven?!" he called out, speeding up. He looked up at the sky every now and then. Maybe this would be a good opportunity... but no. He had to make sure Steven was alright first. A thunderclap crashed through the area, much louder than the rest, and he jumped out of surprise. Man, oh, man, was he going to give Greg quite the talking-to...

Steven, if it was him, either ignored him or didn't hear him—probably the latter. Bill called out louder, speeding up once more. He ignored the feeling of the rain, trying to catch up to the boy, if it was indeed Steven. He hoped it was. He didn't want anything else to happen to the kid. The figure stopped, and turned to look at him. He called out, "Bill, what are you doing here? you shouldn't be out here like this!"

Bill caught up, looking highly anxious, and shot back, "You shouldn't be either! it's a mess! I dunno why Greg ever thought it was okay for you to venture out into a storm like this!"

Lightning again. Another thunderclap. Another jump. Steven stared. "I'm fine! I can use my shield against anything that could hurt me!" he argued. "And... you should go back to the house."

Greg had told him that, specifically. He needed to come to It's a Wash alone, leave his friends at home. The demon looked confused for a second. He asked, "But.. why?" and frowned, "at least let me walk you there, kid..."

He knew full well the boy could defend himself, but he just didn't want anything to happen to him. He was determined not to have this end up like the school again, even though now he had no justifications to worry. Except this storm.

"Okay," Steven nodded, hoping that'd be alright, that this was allowed. Bill smiled a little. He summoned a strong and large umbrella out of his hat, and held it over both of them. Maybe this opportunity could wait another day or something. Steven obviously appreciated him.

He sighed, "Alright. Let's go."

The boy nodded, walked along, but then stopped, "Hold on... can we go back? I'm not sure about this... something feels wrong."

"Uh, sure, kid," Bill frowned slightly, staring at the boy. He felt something was wrong too, other than _that_ persistent feeling, but couldn't grasp it. "What is it?"

"I don't know... everything just seems fishy. I think I should stay at the Temple, with you guys."

"Heh. Good choice..." the demon didn't exactly smile though. He looked up, at the dark, swirling clouds, and twitched slightly. What if he never got this chance again..?

Steven nodded again. "Let's go." He felt the need to hurry.

Suddenly, something clicked and broke inside Bill just then. Overwhelming, he felt it was, and he couldn't take it. The umbrella collapsed and disintegrated for no apparent reason, leaving them exposed to the rain. He decided to do this now...

He glanced at the boy, and then took off, away from him. Steven gasped, "Bill! where are you going?" he ran after him, terrified of losing his friend in this storm.

Fortunately the glow emanating from him would prevent that. Bill didn't answer. He kept running, looking up at the storm. He had to do this right. Maybe he'd finally finish where his parents left off. Lightning struck again, but it wasn't that far away this time. Immediately followed by vicious thunder that rumbled the place. But the demon wasn't jumpy this time. Steven ran after him, "Bill! wait!"

He barely slowed down. The demon broke down crying, caught in the storm of horrible thoughts, but didn't stop running. He shouted, brokenly, "Stop following me! you'll get hurt!"

They were near the mountain now, the cliffside. He began to make himself into a conduit for the lightning to detect.

"No! Bill! what... what did I do wrong?" Steven was breathless. "You have to tell me!"

"It's not anything _you_ did! it's me! it's all me!" he started climbing up onto the cliff that had long since been fenced off, getting higher and higher. The lightning was a little closer now. Thunder struck yet again.

Steven did not falter in following his friend, climbing after him, "Please... Bill... come back! this isn't right!"

Maybe it was intuition.

"You're right! nothing's right about this! nor is anything right about me! I'm _pathetic_ , and everyone and everything would be better off!" he shouted to the world, finally making it to the top. He was shaking all over, looking up at the swirling, tumultuous sky. Now he just had to wait. Or make it happen...

"No, Bill! you're better now..." he made it to the top as well, staring, "and I really care about you! you're awesome and I don't want you to leave... not like this... please? I... I'm sorry..." the thought hit Steven, just then. _I'm not strong enough. I'm not even enough. I can't save him..._

He couldn't look at the triangle anymore.

"Don't be sorry, kid. It's all on me.. I.. I wish I could feel like I was... but I don't... I did so many horrible things, and.. I can't..." Bill stood there, waiting, effectively giving up. Things were getting too much for him, things were getting to him too much. Things in the past and present. And the demon couldn't take it. He saw light gather up there, right above him now. He would've smiled if he felt so inclined. Maybe his parents would be happy. Everyone would be actually, he thought in his twisted and blind mind.

Suddenly, Steven ran right up to Bill, and hugged him, "No! I'm not letting you do this, Bill!"

"What?! kid, are you crazy?! you're gonna get struck too!" the demon tried to squirm out of his grasp. That lightning developed then, and it seemed slow motion when it came down to strike them both. The sound was so loud, so violent. It rumbled, and the flash of light was blinding. When Steven finally was able to see again, he saw his shield, protecting the two of them.

He smiled, "Bill... whatever happens... I'm not going to let you hurt yourself. I can't. You gotta promise you won't, alright?" he stared into Bill's eye, which was wide with tears flowing down from it.

The demon whispered the same word over and over again, and it rose into coherence, a "no", over and over again. He cried out, still trapped in those thoughts, "No! I deserve this! don't you get it? the chance is ruined now! lightning doesn't strike the same place twice!"

And he couldn't make it either. Not like this. He kept crying, and pushed the boy away, "I don't deserve your hugs! stay back!"

"No, Bill, please... if you do this, I'm going to jump off this cliff!" Steven warned, crying, tears streaming down his face.

"Y..you really would..?" the demon's eye widened, and then he frowned. The feeling got worse actually, not better, and the tears flowed even faster, intermingling with the rain, and he yelled again to the world, "OH, I'm such a terrible person! I'm the worst person ever to walk this planet! I'm pushing you to suicide now! and it's all my fault! WHY DON'T YOU WANT ME DEAD LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE?!"

Steven stared at him, wide-eyed, not sure what to say. He felt horrible, too, especially for even suggesting a thing like that. He sighed, "Bill... I really care about you. You're a wonderful person... why can't you see that? why can't you see...?"

Bill knelt eventually, still crying. He couldn't take this, and he couldn't understand. Why? he clutched at his arms, and whispered, but his voice nonetheless carried to Steven's ears, "Why do you...? why do you care, and no one else has..? I'm horrible and worthless... why..?"

"Bill... listen to yourself. You're not horrible, or worthless. You're one of the best friends I've ever had... and best friends protect each other! so you... I can't let you do anything with yourself. It'd... it'd destroy me, ya know?" Steven was really trying. He sniffled.

The demon looked up at him, eye wide again. He could almost barely believe this. He shook slightly, sniffling too, "But... why..? I... I don't understand... how can you.. how can you love someone like me...?"

"Because you're a good person, Bill. You try. That's more than someone like Lars can say. So please... don't do anything. Prove that you really have changed..."

He blinked, and his eye widened even farther. He remembered Lars. And their conflict. This made him feel a little sick inside, remorseful even, even if it was Lars's fault for the most part. But wow. He, a _demon_ , was better than a _human being_...

Wow...

That really said something. And it opened mental floodlights that were now working to drive the dark storm of suicidal depression away. He couldn't say anything for a while, still shocked, still ruminating over this, and those tears were still rapidly intermingling with the rain. Steven hugged Bill, "I know it's hard. I know you feel like the scum of the Earth. I've been there too, you know. I know what it's like. But you have to work through it... for me... please..."

Bill took these words in, and sniffled some more. He had some questions, such as how and why Steven had actually felt like this; he hadn't seen the boy do anything as severe as the demon himself did. But he held back on those. If anything, it was also probably that empathy thing the kid had going on. He sighed, closing his eye, and finally hugged Steven back, "Okay... okay, kid... thank you... thank you so, so much..."

"No problem," Steven smiled and hugged him a little tighter. "I just... I don't want to see you doing anything like this again, okay?"

He nodded the best he could, "I won't... I promise..." and found himself smiling a little. The tears were still falling however, but they were now warm, tender, instead of cold and harsh. The storm, despite what everyone might have been thinking, didn't clear up. It kept going, still dark and swirling and ugly, and lightning struck again, but it was farther away, followed immediately by thunder. But they both knew and could find comfort in the fact that one of the worst was finally over...

* * *

 **A/N:** And there you have it... yeesh... I almost cried posting this on Google Plus all those months ago. All those little feelings... came to a head. And created this. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I was Bill, and Ace had the Void, Gabriel, Pyronica, and Steven. One of the worst... is finally over. Literally. You've waited for this for MONTHS. lol  
But here it is, finally. I'll resume the regularly scheduled posting now. Every Thursday or Saturday. So hang on, my readers! I'm back and here to stay! (...hopefully...)


	45. Trouble is Coming

**A/N: SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS WITHIN. PLEASE READ.  
** Okay. I delayed this chapter for a while due to lack of reviews on the last one and because my laptop was on lockdown due to mom; just wanted to make sure you all read, but I decided that the story must go on, and that you all have waited long enough. So, first of all, I'd like to say thank you to all who faved and followed this story and to all who stuck with it even through the unintentional hiatus.  
I have a **special announcement** as well, that I meant to say when I came back with Chapter Forty-Three. I took the liberty a few months ago, April to be exact, to make and fix up a work page on TV Tropes for this story. If you type in "A Triangle in the Stars Tropes", you should find it easily.  
I also have started uploading it onto Wattpad a few months ago, where it'll eventually have illustrations since my friend had agreed and will be working on supplying the art. She's known as Sideshow-Spottus on dA. :3 Give her a watch and look at her stuff. It's amazing!

Anyway, here's Chapter Forty-Five, y'all! it's still quite tense, but not as emotional as the bombshell that was Chapter Forty-Four. So I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Forty-Five: Trouble is Coming**

The unlikely friends stood there hugging in the rain for a while before Steven finally spoke up, smiling, "Alright. Let's get back to the Temple."

Bill let go slightly, and wiped away the tears, "Right."

He turned his hat into an umbrella again, and held it over them, still smiling, and then he proceeded to float back down to the beach. Steven hugged Bill real tight as they descended. The demon chuckled softly, patting the kid on the back, and they soon made it down safely, onto the balcony. He looked across the waves, those nasty, ship-wrecking waves, and freaked out a little on the inside. He could've sworn he'd seen something dark very far away, on the other side of this storm. Steven didn't see it, however, and went back inside.

Gabriel was on the roof, looking out at a patch of sky he had cleared out. Bill shivered a little. And now he was hoping this storm never ended. Because if it did... he didn't want to think about it. Funny to think he was willing to accept death— _seeking_ it even—just a few minutes ago. Now he was afraid to die again. He sent a telepathic message to Gabriel that he came back, and then followed Steven inside. The star decided he would follow them back inside, and let the clouds cover up the blue sky again. But they didn't, not immediately. Slowly, they would.

Bill sighed, and asked Pyronica, taking his thoughts off the two old men who were literally waiting for the right opportunity to come on shore and end him, "The house is okay, right? no one tried breaking in while we were away?"

Like anyone would even try, with the crazy storm and with how remote this place was from town. And Beach City was fairly safe anyway.

"No, no one tried coming in..." Pyronica looked fairly bored, sitting on the couch.

"Oh, good," he sighed of relief. He frowned, and looked around, eventually settling his eye on Steven, and asked what he'd forgotten to ask in the little spell of depression into which he'd been dunked, and that was, "Hey, kid, you okay?"

He nodded. "I'm just tired... you guys really wear me out, you know that?" he chuckled.

Bill chuckled too, but it was mirthless. He almost didn't get that it was a joke, almost let an unneeded apology slip out of his metaphorical mouth. He sighed, "Right. Well, hopefully it won't happen anymore."

And that was a _huge_ "hopefully".

"Eh, it probably will. But we'll work over it, won't we?"

He nodded, smiling a little and disposing of the umbrella, "Sure thing."

Bill checked the clock. It wasn't even midday yet. It was now about two in the afternoon. The demon groaned. Usually time passed so fast when things were being done. But now.. it was almost tormentingly slow. Steven was looking at the clock too, and his eyes went wide, "Oh man... has it really only been a couple of hours? I guess that's what happens when the climax of the story comes through!"

Bill stared at Steven, raising an eyebrow, "Did you just?" and then shook himself. He decided to leave that alone. Now he wanted to do something else. He sighed, "Never mind. Say, can I call your dad real quick?"

"Uh, sure!" Steven nodded.

He held a hand out for the boy's phone. He didn't forget the talk he was going to give him. And, since he couldn't do it in person, he might as well just do it over the phone. Steven dialed his number, and then passed it over to Bill. The phone was already ringing when it was in Bill's hand. The triangle thought about shapeshifting into Pearl this time, or at least mimicking her voice, but he figured Greg would know the Gems were away and immediately think something was off. So he held the phone up to his nonexistent ear, waiting.

Greg picked up. "Hey, Steven! are you almost here?" he sounded anxious.

"Actually, no," a different voice answered. Bill sighed, "I'm a new friend of his, or, roommate, and I brought him back home. What possessed you to tell him to go to the car wash in such a mess?"

He remained as calm as possible, staring out the window now. It was still storming, even though the lightning and thunder seemed to have vanished for a while.

"Well... it's... it's important. Can you give Steven the phone?" Greg was fidgeting, nervous.

He nodded, "Sure thing," and handed the phone back to the kid, frowning softly.

Steven took it. "Dad?"

"Steven, you have to get over here. It's really important. And please tell your friend to stay there..." he said.

"Wait, dad, what is this about? can you please tell me?" Steven asked, biting his lip.

Bill listened intently to this, staring at the boy now. He had a feeling it was about the boat he'd seen...

"Here, you try talking to him," Greg handed the phone to someone else. There was a short pause before...

"Steven, you need to come to It's A Wash before the storm settles," Connie said.

"But why? I don't understand... why can't I stay here?" he asked, frowning, staring out the window.

"It's not safe for you over there," Connie sighed. "Please just come over here... I'll be waiting," she hung up.

Bill frowned. That wasn't the only time Steven got locked out of the loop by his friends and family, he noted. Heck, he himself had done so too. And he honestly wasn't surprised Connie was there too, what with the hostility she exhibited despite having read his life's story. He sighed eventually, rubbing at his top point, "Yeesh... tough luck, eh, kid?"

"I just wish they'd tell me what was going on..." he sighed.

The demon glanced at Pyronica, who still looked bored, trying to decide whether she should say it or not. He was still thinking on it, even as he offered with a sigh, "Well, since they want you to go so badly, I guess you should. I'll walk you until at least a yard or so away from it... or maybe a little more..."

He wanted the boy safe too. Even though Steven could indeed take care of himself. Even if it meant he died. But he didn't want to die at the same time. However, the boy's safety took top priority.

"No, I'm staying here for sure. I don't want to leave you alone, Bill. Not that I don't trust you... but I've got a shield. You know what I mean?"

He smiled slightly, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Thanks."

He felt rather anxious on the inside though. Something big was going to happen as soon as this storm passed on. And Steven would be caught in the middle of it. Again.

"Don't worry about it," Steven smiled, but he, too, was worried about what would happen. He was sure something horrible would happen—and had the idea he could prevent it, if he was just at the right place, at the right time.

"Alright, kid," Bill then glanced out at the storm again. He wondered what Greg and Connie were doing. They were probably worried sick. He sighed, and then sent another telepathic message to Gabriel to come back inside. Gabriel finally did, thunder striking behind him when he opened the door. He looked really wet.

Bill looked at his adopted brother and sighed again, _Gabe... it's not safe for you or Pyronica here. Not anymore._

Gabriel's eye widened as he stared at the triangle, _I'm not leaving unless you do. I'm not going to lose you again._

 _You're gonna have to though... at least until the Stans leave..._ he rubbed at his eye. This was difficult for him. Just when they were starting to get along again.

 _No... I won't do that to you, Bill. I won't let you disappear again,_ Gabriel looked about to cry.

Steven raised an eyebrow, unsure what was happening.

 _Whatever happens, happens.._ he went up to Gabriel and hugged him. Just like old times.

 _Yeah. I'm not abandoning you again. It's only been a day... can't it last a little longer?_ he hugged right back, sniffling.

"Is someone going to tell me what's going on...?" asked Steven, not wanting to interrupt but curiosity prodding him. He was technically a dead cat.

 _..I guess you're right,_ and then he glanced at his friend. He decided to tell, but was vague about it, "Something big is going to happen the moment that storm fades. Something is waiting out there. To get me. I didn't want Gabriel or Pyronica to get got too."

"Don't worry, Bill. I'll be here to protect you!" he got out his phone. "Hey, Connie? no, I'm not on my way. Listen, I need you to come over to the Temple for a sleepover." But that wasn't his true plan.

Bill listened, letting go of his brother. He wondered if he should go get Connie if she agreed. And that was a big "if". She already didn't like him. He could tell.

"Steven, a sleepover?" she asked, a little freaked out. "What has Bill been doing to you...?"

"Nothing, Connie! it's just that... well... it's hard to leave him alone, if you know what I mean," he sighed.

Connie took it the wrong way, "Well, you won't have to worry about him anymore once the storm clears up."

Steven's eyes widened, "What do you mean...?"

The demon tensed up. He hated being reminded of the elder Pines twins, but it was going to happen eventually. They were waiting.

"Steven, we both know that Bill isn't exactly innocent. He's got blood on his hands, and... some people really want to make sure he doesn't do anything more," Connie explained, trying to put it as gently as she could.

"Connie... he's changed. He's not a bad guy anymore! he was just... a little misguided," he looked down.

The triangle kept listening, and then looked askance. He felt really bad. Extremely bad. For all he'd done. But he'd changed, like Steven said. He really had. That was why he was feeling bad. Because he changed; he wasn't psychopathic anymore—at least not by much. And he certainly wasn't evil anymore. And he could finally admit it. He whispered an apology under his breath.

"Steven, I don't think you understand who you're dealing with. Bill Cipher is a trickster, and he will do anything to get under your skin. It wouldn't be the first time it happened to someone..."

The boy looked over at the dorito, considering what Connie said, "Can you just... can you just trust me? I know he's changed. There's so much proof. You just need to come see it for yourself." Steven would have asked where she had gotten her information if he wasn't so focused on defending Bill.

The aforementioned triangle almost started crying, tears welling up in his eye. He felt Steven's belief in him faltering, even if it was only for a second. And, boy, did it feel _horrible_. There was some silence. Before...

"Alright, Steven. I'll be there in a couple of minutes," she sighed.

Steven proceeded with his question, "But who told you Bill was a—" and she hung up. Troubled, he put the phone back in his pocket. He looked at Bill, biting his lip. He wanted to ask what Connie meant—"It wouldn't be the first time."

The demon sighed, and replied despite having no verbal prompt, "She's right, you know, kid... I was a trickster... a manipulator... a _liar_... you experienced it firsthand, twice even... and I'm sorry."

He thought back on the people he managed to pull along. Steven's mother, Sapphire, Ford, Dipper, and many others. And he tried this on Sadie, Wendy, Connie and Steven himself. All to cause chaos and further his plans. And sometimes just for kicks, to see them all squirm. He shuddered. He hated that now. He wished he could take it all back.

"You don't have to apologize, Bill. I understand why you did it. What matters is that you're not now. Connie will realize that. So will whoever's coming for you. They... they have to," Steven affirmed, making a fist and pounding it into his palm.

"I.. I hope so.. I really do... I want to show the world I changed..." he looked down for a while. Steven nodded. Bill then looked over at Gabriel and Pyronica and sent a message for them to go hide someplace. Gabriel hid by making himself virtually two-dimensional, and sliding between Steven's bed and the floor. Pyronica turned invisible.

The demon rubbed his top point, glancing at the door, "Should I go get Connie? help her over here?"

Steven shrugged, "Sure. Just don't get yourself into any trouble..."  
Bill nodded, "I won't, kid. I promised."

And he levitated up to the door, opened it, and ventured out into the storm again. And then he thought of something. He'd gotten some of his powers back. Maybe teleportation was one of them. He checked, and found that it was, and grinned. The triangle then glowed a bright light and vanished, making his way to where Connie was.

* * *

 **A/N:** WHAM. You'll understand why I said that when you get to this point. XP Of course, because you read it. XP Ace had Steven, Gabriel, Pyronica, Greg and Connie, and I had Bill. OOONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER THAT YOU'LL EVER S - nah, I'm still okay with this. XD I hope you enjoyed this, and the next one will be out next Thursday or Saturday. :3 Leave a lengthy review. Ace and I love those. X3

P.S.: Also, I noticed that some of the earlier chapters, like Chapter One, for some reason are not or no longer aligned left. Since my documents are gone, it'll be slower trying to fix all that. But count on it to be done. Whenever. xD


	46. Building Up Trust

**A/N:** Well, I suppose it's gonna be like that again. Only a few reviews? it's surprising to me, since it's summer vacation for me and should be the same for the majority of you. Oh, well, the show must go on! here's Chapter Forty-Six! woooo, another _really_ long one, about twenty pages long in length. Just so you know, I couldn't split it anywhere, so here ya are. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Forty-Six: Building Up Trust**

Connie was walking along, holding an umbrella. She trudged forward through the mud. She began to think this was a bad idea—the wind whipped against her aggressively, too aggressive to let her get very far very fast. And then a flash of light appeared in front of her, nearly blinding her. A voice echoed out, as Bill Cipher came into view, his hat a large and sturdy umbrella, "Need a hand, kid?"

She stared at him with disbelief. "I... you can do that?" she looked unsure, too.

He nodded, smirking slightly, "Of course I can! I'm here to help."

The wind was barely affecting him or his umbrella at all. Neither was the pounding rain. And he wasn't scared of the thunder anymore.

"O-okay... how can you help?" she was still cautious.

"I can either teleport you to the Beach House, or I can walk you there," he offered, holding a hand out. Though, with how Connie seemed so distrusting, she'd probably pick the non-magical route. Not that he blamed her. He'd be able to take her and drop her off anywhere else, especially dangerous areas, if he felt so inclined. But he didn't. So he wouldn't. But she wouldn't know.

She frowned. "Promise you won't trick me?" she asked, still trying to walk forward on her own. But she could barely get even inches farther.

"I promise," he said with no hesitation, observing her.

She watched him a little more carefully, and a few seconds passed before she sighed, "Alright. I'm trusting you to take me to the Temple."

She took his hand. He nodded, and then disappeared in a flash of light, whisking her off to the Beach House. She gasped, and was really shocked when she actually wound up there, taking it all in with wide eyes.

"Hey, Connie!" Steven waved to her, smiling. Bill smiled too, and made the umbrella disappear again. He snapped his fingers, and the mud on Connie's boots vanished. He then floated over to Steven's side. He honestly felt pretty good.

"Wow, Steven... you didn't tell me he had gotten that... strong," Connie was troubled by this, as she put away her own umbrella. She desperately wanted to call up Wendy to see what this meant; the boy's smile faded a little bit. The dream demon glanced at Steven before he looked at Connie again, brow furrowing. It was true. He was steadily getting his powers back. But he'd never use them for evil purposes again. How long it would take for the brunette to realize that, well, he didn't know. But he hoped it would be soon.

Steven also hoped she would soon, too. He frowned. "So, uh... maybe we should play a game, or something. Citchen Calamity, maybe?" he suggested.

"That sounds pretty good," Bill Cipher smiled a little, fingers poised to snap a board game or something into existence. Connie grew a little more afraid and unsure.

Steven, instead, told the triangle he had one and went to pull it out from a cupboard. He then walked back to the living room with it, "So... Connie... do you know how to play?"

"Sort of..." she shrugged, "but not really."

The triangle grinned. He was going to play fair here. With his powers, he'd always win. He spoke, "We're gonna have fun, kids!"

Steven smiled and then started explaining the rules. Connie was clearly uncomfortable, especially with Bill right there. Bill noticed the discomfort, and was thus somewhat tense and also fairly uncomfortable. He made sure to hide this though, sitting and waiting for Steven to finish. The boy set up the game, sitting as well, "Alright, I'll go first..."

Connie barely listened to what he said, also sitting. She was entirely focused on Bill. He glanced at her, frowning a little, before he paid attention to what Steven was doing. The boy put the dice in the dice-rolling blender and turned it on, before letting it go. The two dice rolled out, and he grinned, "Alright! I get a card!"

Bill grinned at this, and kept watching, waiting for his turn.

"You get an apron... move five spaces?! this is great!" Steven grinned and moved his little character five spaces. "Bill, it's your turn!"

"Hehe, okay!" he rubbed his hands together and placed the dice into the blender, blending them, and let it go. The two dice spilled out onto the board, and he chuckled again, "I get a card too! let's see!"

He reached for one, which caused Connie to shrink back a little bit. Bill didn't notice, thankfully, as he pulled out one.

"Hmm... what did you get?" Steven looked immensely interested, while it was still obvious Connie was not, for she was too focused on watching the demon's every move.

The triangle looked at the card, and smiled, "I got a fork! four spaces!"

And then, with magic, he moved his pawn four spaces. He looked over at Connie, and sing-songed, "Your turn, kid!"

The brunette snapped out of it, and nodded. She rolled the dice, drew a card, and found she lost a turn.

"Awww, well, maybe next time?" the demon comforted her awkwardly.

She shrugged, "Eh, maybe."

Steven found he was able to move six spaces, or give those spaces to his competitors, with his next card drawn.

"So I'll give five to Connie, and one to Bill!" he declared, smiling.

Bill chuckled, "Hehe, thanks, kid!"

The fact that he got fewer didn't bother him now. Besides, Steven and Connie were friends far longer than he was with Bill. He made a small note that he would've gotten angry pre-empathy time, and sighed inwardly. It almost didn't dawn on him that it was his turn until he snapped out of this, rolled the dice, and drew his next card. It was a spoon. He remarked, "Two spaces. Still cool!" and moved his chess piece two spaces.

Steven, remembering Connie lost a turn, went and got two spaces backwards, when he drew his card. Connie looked lost. Bill analyzed the battlefield. So far, he was actually winning, by two spaces. And it wasn't by magic either. He chuckled, and then repeated the ritual. A fork again. Moved four spaces. And then he looked at the brunette, entirely giddy. He seemed to be having way too much fun.

The boy was losing, actually. He drew another card, scanning it, "Hmm... interesting... I receive a recipe—if I get eggs, flour, and sugar, I can go ahead by ten spaces!" he grinned. "Alright!"

The demon laughed. He thought it was literal for a second. He soon realized they skipped over Connie, and frowned a bit, "Hey, Connie, you can take my turn, if you want!"

She raised her head, snapping out of it again. "No, no, thank you," she smiled a little. But she was good at doing that when she didn't actually feel happy. Steven frowned.

Bill's frown deepened, and he gestured to the board, "We're in this together, kid. Once ya start playing, you can't exactly stop until you finish the game."

He caught onto the fake smile. He was good at fake smiles himself. Being a master manipulator, one had to distinguish between real and fake smiles—one of the rules. And he sighed. He wondered if this was a waste of time.

"We could play something else..." Steven suggested, with a sympathetic smile.

"No, no, it's just me. Carry on without me, will you?" she still had that fake smile.

The demon sighed, brow furrowing sadly, "No. I..it's me, isn't it, kid? you're suspicious of me. That's why." He then slightly bowed, "...I get it."

She sighed, "It's just hard to believe you changed—after all that Wendy's told me."

He tensed a little, putting a hand on his bowtie, "So she told you..."

Words couldn't express how much he'd come to regret it. Only actions would. But only if people were willing to listen and see.

"Told what?" Steven asked, feeling left out.

Connie ignored him for various reasons. And there was silence around the board game, with the triangle sadly staring down at it.

"Bill, Connie, tell me what's going on!" Steven pleaded.

"Steven..." Connie began, in opposition.

"...Neither of you should know..." Bill got up and levitated up to the loft.

"Wait, what about the game?" Steven asked, before Connie got up too and went to sit in the kitchen.

"Sorry, kid," the dream demon sighed, settling into the bed. "Not exactly feeling it anymore..."

The storm still raged on outside, but it seemed to be slowing down. He hoped that was a fluke. He really did. Steven put up the game, sighing. He decided he would talk to Connie, walking over to her. She had to understand—things were different now. He began, "Hey, whatever Bill had done... it doesn't matter now. Things are different, and he's different, too... I don't know what he did, but—"

"That's right. You don't know," Connie shortly replied.

Bill listened in, curling up. If Connie told him... he couldn't imagine what that would do. Well, he could. And he didn't like any of the possibilities. At all.

"Then tell me!" he said, almost yelling. "I don't understand what's going on, and maybe I would if someone would just tell me!"

"Steven... I can't. You really don't wanna know," she lay her head back, sighing, looking at the ceiling now.

"That bad, huh?" he asked, waiting for her to say something. When she didn't, he went over to Bill, climbing the stairs.

The demon sniffled, and nodded, grabbing the sad bunny and hugging it, "Yes. It's bad, kid. Really, _really_ bad. I'm not proud of it. Not anymore."

He didn't care that Connie could see. He really didn't. All he cared about was Steven's belief in him. Steven's friendship. He'd be damned if he lost them.

"Please tell me... I won't think any less of you. It's in the past, and it doesn't matter anymore. I know about your parents, and your brother. I can handle anything else..." Steven was about to cry. If he could understand, couldn't he help? why wouldn't anyone just tell him?

A dark look descended upon Bill's eye, but it was more of sadness than anything else. He took a deep breath, "Okay... remember what I told you not to ask about..?"

It was a roundabout way, but he'd get to it. He needed to psyche himself up.

"I know..." Steven replied, seeming to misunderstand. "But it's obvious it's dividing you and Connie and probably Wendy too. If I knew what it was... I could help. I could fix that!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah.. I don't think you can fix it this time... that event was god-awful.. and it is called.. Weirdmageddon," he uttered its name, and he could swear the air in the house went cold and dead.

"Weirdmageddon..." Steven repeated as he climbed up onto the bed, frowning. He remembered the word. "What happened in it?"

He shook a little, "Well, basically, it's the apocalypse with a main ingredient of weird, with one central purpose—to destroy every rule in existence. But I was limited to Gravity Falls. I had done and was willing to do some pretty nasty things in order to expand it and keep it going, and even beforehand to kick-start it. But, while I was there, well... I..." and he stopped right there, his mind going blank on him again. He squeezed the stuffed animal, tighter and tighter.

Steven let him take his time. He knew it had something to do with Gravity Falls already, based on what Wendy had said, but didn't know the extent of what it was. Bill sighed, and finally got his mind working again. He started listing off what he'd done, in no particular order, "I petrified almost all the townsfolk and had them placed into a throne of frozen human agony. I rearranged the orifices in Preston's face. I trapped Dipper's sister, Mabel, into a lotus eater prison. I burned the Journals and sicced Teeth and 8-Ball after Dipper. I, either privately or publicly, _tortured_. And then later I almost _killed_ Dipper and Mabel in order to get one of the Grunkles—whom I turned into a backscratcher a little earlier—to let me into his mind, in effect giving up the equation to destroy the barrier around the town."

He felt that was enough, and tightened the hold on his stuffed animal. Ugh, he _hated_ it all. And he hated how gleeful he was too.

Steven was really caught off guard, eyes wide, "Wow... I... I never realized it was _that_ bad."

The triangle choked a little, on a sob, "I didn't want to tell you this because of that, kid... well, it used to be for another reason, but it changed. I.." he curled up, "I understand if you want to break up the friendship and hate me... or beat me up... or worse. It's what I deserve."

He glanced over at Connie, for a split second.

"No... Bill... this shows how far you've come. It just proves how awesome you are now, how you've improved," Steven smiled. "It's easier for me, because I've seen you change firsthand. I didn't realize the extent of it all... and that's why Connie can't. She hasn't seen what you're like now..." he began to think about how to show her that.

And the golden demon was once again surprised. But it was a happy surprise. He smiled, but it was a little sad, and loosened his hold on the sad bunny. Steven was right. He _had_ changed. In an awesome way. He was awesome now. He chuckled, "Thanks, kid..."

He was also thinking. What could they do?

"No problem..." Steven was thinking about the whole Weirdmageddon business now, though. He was interested, curious. Wanted to know more, even.

Bill kept staring at the boy. He knew what this meant for the rule he imposed yesterday. It was effectively blown to bits. So now Steven could ask anything about Weirdmageddon too. He sighed. Thank God it didn't break him like he expected it would, though.

"There's still so much I don't know about you though..." Steven frowned.

Connie walked upstairs just then, searching in her bag. "This might help," she put down on the bed that book from earlier. The Tale of William Nolis—as she and Wendy had deemed it. She didn't even spare Bill a glance.

The demon trembled the moment he caught sight of it, and curled up even more. He whispered, "Uhh.. no... you.. that's.. not.." and groaned when he couldn't get it out. Tears threatened to appear in his eye, but he fought them.

Steven ignored her, for a moment, directing his attention to Bill still, eyes wide and frowning worriedly, "Bill, are you alright?" but he received little response. He then shot a look at the brunette, and took a deep breath before he stated, "I'm not going to read that, got it? if Bill wants to tell me something, he'll tell me. I'm not going to make him feel uncomfortable reading stuff about him that might not even be true!"

Connie was shocked. She stared at him, "Steven..."

The triangle demon smiled a little, still trembling, but he knew everything in this book was all true. He really appreciated how Steven was willing to respect his privacy and everything. He wiped at his eye, tightening his one-handed grasp on the sad bunny. He decided just to listen now.

"Connie, if you're going to treat Bill like he's not worth anything, or like he's a criminal, we can't be friends anymore. I don't want that and you don't want that so please just give him a chance!" he pleaded. Connie looked down, realizing Steven was right. She _hadn't_ given him a chance. Bill kept listening, glancing at the book every now and then. He hoped this conversation would be the key to unlocking the floodgates. He really did. The storm outside was still going, but it seemed to be alternating between calm and tumultuous now.

She sighed, "Okay, Steven. I'll try... for you..."

"Alright," he smiled. "We should go play a game of Marco Polo!" and then thunder struck outside the house, reminding him of the raging storm. He shrank a little, slightly embarrassed, "Oh, right... forgot about that..."

Bill laughed, and then suggested, "Maybe an interior game of trust would be more appropriate?"

"Tag? hide and go seek?" Steven offered excitedly.

"Tag seems like a good one," the demon smirked. "I won't use my powers. It'd be pretty unfair if I did."

"Can't we all just talk?" Connie proposed.

"Or talking. Talking sounds good too," he pushed the book away. He wondered if they could do both at once.

The boy smiled. He was okay with this. Connie took the hint and put the book in her bag, and sat next to the two on the bed, "Alright... so..."

"So... who's gonna start, first of all? and with what?" Bill tilted himself, still holding the sad bunny singlehandedly. Steven shrugged, and Connie did too. The demon adjusted his bowtie, thinking, "Maybe.. something about... our likes, maybe? or would that be too simple?"

There were so many things to talk about, though. It might have been why he couldn't focus in on just one. Not like he used to. And he knew almost everything there was to know about these two anyway. But he wanted to start _some_ kind of conversation. He really wanted to earn Connie's trust. The two kids shook their heads.

"Hmm... I like tennis. Have you ever played tennis?" she asked Bill, honestly trying.

Bill frowned a little, and shook himself, "No.. I actually haven't..."

He regretted that too. But it wasn't like he could. He wasn't a very competitive shape, and his home dimension's version of tennis was _highly_ competitive, not focused on fun at all.

"Oh... well, what do you do for fun?" she asked, smiling.

"Well, I used to find screams and chaos fun..." his frown deepened, "but.." he looked at the sad bunny tucked in his arm still, too embarrassed to say this if the blush crossing his frame indicated anything. He hoped she figured it out. Heck, she already knew. She read the book on his childhood, after all.

"But what?" she asked, frowning. She didn't get it, much to his displeasure.

He sighed. "I... I used to play with stuffed animals," he mumbled, too low for them to hear.

Her frowned deepened, "What?"

Steven was just watching again.

"Stuffed animals, kid," he repeated, louder, the blush going brighter. "I played with them. There. I said it."

"What does that mean?" Steven blurted out, thinking he meant something different, and Connie didn't say anything.

"Like you, kid," he looked askance. "I know you play with them too. All innocent-like, and imaginative." His blush disappeared, and his frown deepened, "Those were the days..."

And even then they were bad.

Steven and Connie exchanged glances, sensing how uncomfortable Bill was becoming, so...

"Oh. Okay then..." the brunette looked away and scanned the room. Eventually, she found something intriguing. "So, uh, is that new?" she asked, pointing to the Rose Quartz portrait hanging above the door.

Bill looked over at it, grateful for the change in topic. He shook himself, "No. That's been there for quite a bit. Since this house was first built."

He stared at it. He wondered what she thought of him. She seemed pretty upset, especially after their actions kick-started a huge and vicious war. But, of course, he didn't care back then. But now. Well. He did. And he felt terrible, even though it eventually led to great things. The demon hid this feeling well from the kids though.

"Oh..." Steven muttered, looking at the portrait as well. "Yeah, that's been there."

He nodded, and went on to provide background information, "It was also painted by Vidalia. She had quite an interest in how Rose looked." He then smiled a little, "And it was for you, kid."

"Wow..." the boy smiled. He hadn't known that. Connie was a little impressed.

"Yeah, it's amazing. It's so you'd have what she looks like, and the sense of her always watching over you," that smile grew, despite how he felt. He wondered how different things would be if he hadn't gotten involved, if at all. He hummed a bit.

"How do you know all this?" Connie asked. Apparently she didn't know everything about Bill.

"Well, I simply observed everything via triangular peepholes," he chuckled somewhat hollowly. "It has its perks. And its downsides."

"Oh... wow... so what do you know about me?" Connie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I know you're an excellent warrior," he answered, and his triangular frame displayed a hologram of her fighting, which changed as he said other things. "You absolutely love reading and your room is filled with books. You frequent the library a lot. And so on, but I won't reveal some of them because I know they're too personal."

"Hmm... do you know what the fusion between me and Steven is called?" she asked, smiling, intrigued.

He nodded, smiling a little, and the hologram formed the fusion, "Stevonnie."

The brunette looked impressed, "Hmm... how about..." she tried to think up something. Steven was reminded of the day he had questioned Bill about these types of things, but he kept quiet and listened.

The hologram disappeared, and Bill took a deep breath and released it into a neutral sigh, petting the sad bunny, as he waited. He was also reminded of what Steven was thinking about. And he also remembered the fact that he didn't feel like answering any questions Connie would have if he told her about him knowing lots of things. Granted, he was tired. Now he didn't mind at all. And he felt good. He could feel the girl was beginning to trust him. And it warmed whatever he had that represented a heart. The storm outside was still raging, but it was considerably less intense than earlier.

"So, you know all about Rose... what do you know about the other Gems?" she asked, smiling.

"Well," he chuckled, "Pearl was a renegade, a master warrior despite her status as a 'lowly Pearl'." This almost made him grimace, due to the similarity it had for him, but he continued, "She loves cooking, and does it well, but hates the process of eating and digestion. She also loves cleaning up. For Amethyst, she's.. uh, rather messy. She came from a Kindergarten here on Earth, but stayed in the ground for too long. Not that it changes anything about her strength. She's also pretty carefree and fun-loving. And then Garnet..." he paused here. This was also somewhat uncomfortable for him. He remembered Sapphire and all his dealings with her. He held back a shiver, and nonetheless pressed on, "Well, she's a fusion. Between Ruby and Sapphire. And she can't exactly see into the future like I can, but she can see many different possibilities and paths and decide which route is best for us all to take. She's also pretty cool. Calm and collected. And has the most faith and trust in everyone. Especially you," he spared the boy a glance, and he gained a smile, "kid."

Connie had diamond eyes. She grinned, "Wow... incredible!" she stared at him, completely amazed.

His smile grew, "Thanks!"

The brunette nodded.

"How much do you know, exactly?" Steven asked, staring at Bill with wide, starry eyes.

The demon explained, "I'm almost like a never-ending well of information of days past and days to come! as well as days present, but those are kinda less fun in my opinion."

The boy quirked an eyebrow, "What makes you say that?"

"Yeah..." Connie looked suspicious.

Both of the kids were dead cats.

"Well, kids, where's the fun in seeing things that are already happening, hm?" he looked at them both, smirking, "wouldn't it be funner if you could see what led up to that moment? wouldn't it be cooler if you could see what results from that moment? though I get what you're thinking—the present is just as important. Cause if we had no present, we'd have no past or future! it'd be like time went out to lunch." He chuckled then, ignoring the reminder that the first thing he did in Weirdmageddon was to force time to take a long break.

"True, true..." Steven smiled. Something dawned on the girl just then.

"Hold on, guys... I'll be right back in a second," Connie went downstairs, dialed a number and put the phone next to her face. "Hey, Wendy?"

Bill blinked, and his smile and good mood were lost as he stared down at her; the hold on the stuffed animal tightened too.

"Hey, dude," Wendy sighed a little. "Did Steven ever go to It's A Wash?"

"Uh, no. I'm at the Temple now with him and Bill and I think that... well, this Bill is nothing like the one you described."

Bill listened in once more, and he was once again surprised in a happy way, regaining that smile, but it was smaller than before. Wendy's eyes were wide, and she, rendered almost speechless, stammered, "R..really?"

Though her opinion of him had changed after reading that book, she still felt rather antsy about and a little suspicious of him. So this kinda clashed with her thoughts.

"I don't know what happened..." Connie rubbed at her chin, "but I think he's changed or he's a really good actor. And he seems a lot more powerful than when I first met him, so I think it's the former."

There was silence on the phone for a while, before there was a deep breath, and then a sigh. Of relief. The redhead spoke, but it was tinged with sadness, "More powerful and yet he's not attacking anyone? wow... I was unsure when Steven said he was changing too... it's good to have a second opinion that agrees."

She never thought in her life she'd ever say that. Ever. But there it was. And she really wanted to come over and see for herself. The demon was happily surprised once again, and that smile broadened.

"That's exactly what I first thought... I really think he's different now," she smiled and glanced up at him and Steven. "I don't know... Steven's got this way with people."

Steven smiled back, and Bill chuckled quietly, but it was out of warmth. Wendy smiled too, if the tone in her voice indicated anything, "Even with sociopaths... wow, man. That sure is something... _he_ sure is something..."

She wanted to call up Stan and Ford now, tell them the issue's been resolved and they can go back to their business. But she was afraid it'd raise suspicion, and that Ford would say she and everyone else involved were being brainwashed. She sighed a little.

Connie nodded. "Yeah... he sure is..." she blushed.

Wendy chortled a little, nodding, "Yeah, man..." and then her smile faded into a frown, "should I come over too? I feel like seeing this for myself..."

She glanced out her window, seeing and hearing the rain pound against it.

"If you want to..." Connie frowned. "But could you talk to the twins and see if they can change their minds?"

Wendy nodded, and got up, putting on her coat and donning the hood. Luckily the rain and wind had calmed down enough to allow people to pass safely through it. But not yet for boats. She sighed, "I can try, dude... I don't think they'll get it, and, if they do... well, they probably won't change their minds. They'll think we've all been tricked."

Bill set down the sad bunny and got up, stretching. He was ready to bring Wendy here, if she wanted.

"Well, okay..." Connie sighed. "When they come, I'm not going to stay here..."

Wendy shrugged, "Your choice, dude..." and then she switched the application to her text app, and sent the twins a quick message about what was going on. But, as the little red triangle that popped up next to her message indicated, it didn't send. She frowned, tried again, and then headed out the door. It again didn't send. She sighed, _Oh, well..._

The demon decided to jump in, feeling a little antsy, "Hey, Connie, does she want me to go get her?"

She hummed and then asked, "Hey, Wend, do you want Bill to come get you?"

There was silence over the phone, but it was only for a few seconds, "Yeah. Sure. Whatever. I guess I'll see you there in a flash then."

Apparently she was still antsy about it all. Bill couldn't blame her. It would take more than a book and a second opinion to fully change a mindset that had been held for nearly a year. He floated down to the door, activating his umbrella hat, and got ready to teleport over there.

"See ya," she hung up, and looked over at Bill. "She said yes, she wants you to teleport to her."

"Got it. Be right back," and he vanished in a flash of light. Less than a minute later, he reappeared, with Wendy by his side. Her coat was wet and she was shivering slightly. She looked around to see if she had arrived at the Beach House, and she had. She saw Steven and Connie, and so she smiled, doffing her hood. The demon once again collapsed his umbrella, snapped his fingers to dry her off, and then floated back up to the loft.

Connie went back up as well, smiling. The redhead followed her. She felt something different about the triangle. And she liked the difference. It was more than a little subtle and faint, the warmth and humanity, but it was there, ready to bloom. She didn't think it was possible. She really didn't. Wendy cleared her throat once she reached the loft, "So.. sup?"

"I'm doing okay," the demon answered, hiding the anxiety, the stuffed animal beside him. He wasn't exactly that comfortable to hold it with Wendy around.

She nodded, "Good," and then looked at the other two.

Steven smiled, "So... it's cold and windy out there... I have an idea!" he ran downstairs, grabbed some packets of something, grabbed some marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. He also got some metal rods. He went to the fireplace and started it up. "Come on, guys, let's have s'mores!" he grinned. That wasn't all he had planned...

Bill smiled, and floated downstairs to join him, "Hehe, I'd love some!"

Wendy nodded, "Been a long time since I had s'mores. I wonder if they're as good as my mom's were," and then she sighed, heading downstairs too. Bill glanced at her, frowning softly.

Connie ran down too. "Oh, boy!" she grinned.

Steven gave everyone a stick. He got out a kettle, and began preparing something in it, putting it on the stove. Wendy and Bill smiled as they grabbed a stick. She was thinking back to her mom and how the family would always on rainy days like this gather around the indoor campfire and mom would make these treats. And her smile grew sadder and sadder every second despite her wanting to keep the mood happy. The demon kept an eye on her. He knew all about her family and how her mom suffered an untimely demise. He hadn't cared before. But now he thought it was sad.

* * *

And there's the chapter! Steven knows now...  
Ace had Steven and Connie, and I had Bill and Wendy. More parallels were drawn, secrets have been told, and Bill is starting to get out of the humble funk he's been in for the past ten or whatever chapters. XD  
Oh, and wait... **sniffs the air,** can you smell that? I think we're around the bend now. Aren't we? XP so leave a review, and I'll have the next one up next week Thursday, or maybe Saturday. XP Decisions, decisions.


	47. The Interior Camping Sleepover

**A/N:** I am genuinely pleased with the reception this story has gotten so far and the last chapter has gotten. I love reviews just as much as I love writing, or in this case, converting, this for you to see. I already thanked her, but I want to thank Krystall Klear again for telling her friends to review this. It's really appreciative. :3  
And a reviewer has reviewed! anonymously, so here's the reply!

/dogsdogsdogs: Hehehe, well, now you will see what happens next. It's a continuation of the last chapter. I really do hope you enjoy it. And aww, thank you. It was a combined effort between me and Ace, as was this entire story, save for solo chapters like Chapter Twelve. And you're asking for Stan, Ford and Peridot to sail faster? xD Well, as I'm sure you know from Chapter Forty-One, the nasty storm is preventing them passage. They tried, but they couldn't risk the waves tipping their boat over, and so are forced to wait on the very perimeter until it lets up, much to Stan's dismay.

So, with that said, enjoy Chapter Forty-Seven!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Forty-Seven: The Interior Camping Sleepover**

Once everyone was around the fireplace with their sticks of marshmallows, Steven then gave them all mismatching cups of hot chocolate. The teenager and the triangle sat down after they took their cups of hot cocoa, nodding with gratitude. The three sipped at it at the same time after it cooled a little, and then hummed with delight. Bill spoke up for them both, "Mm, this is good..."

Steven nodded, "That's why I fixed it up for you guys..."

Connie smiled, "Thank you so much, Steven..."

"Yeah, thanks, kid!" he also smiled, clutching the mug.

"You rock, man!" Wendy exclaimed, trying to keep that good mood, and then stared down into her hot chocolate.

Steven smiled. "Why, thank you!" he said, before sitting down himself and sticking his marshmallow above the fire. Wendy and Bill nodded, the former snapping out of her thoughts, and also stuck their marshmallows above the fire. The demon was grinning, looking forward to this so much. The redhead glanced at Bill. This was so strange. She felt like she was having tea with Cthulhu. But she preferred it over him trying to kill her and these kids and everyone.

Steven took a sip of his chocolate. He had spiked the drinks with tiny marshmallows. Lots of marshmallows. He asked again, "So, how is it now?"

"It's amazing, kid.." the demon dreamily stated, sipping at his too.

"Very," the redhead added, also taking a long sip. "It makes me feel warm inside."

"Ditto!" Bill grinned. The brunette nodded with agreement.

Steven smiled, "I'm glad!"

Wendy sighed happily, with a slight trace of sadness, staring down into her reflection the hot cocoa was displaying. Bill chuckled and continued sipping, keeping an eye on his marshmallow. Connie then pulled hers out and literally sung when she saw the results—it was golden brown. Steven got star eyes.

"That's amazing..." he whispered, and the brunette shot him a smile.

Bill looked at hers, and also smiled, "Nice!"

The brunette chuckled with gratitude, "Thanks!"

He then pulled out his too. It was also a golden brown, but it was a little more crispy. He glanced over at Wendy, who seemed preoccupied, and nudged her. She jumped, coming back to reality, "Oh! uh, right."

And then she took out hers. Hers was a little black around the edges. The redhead frowned. Steven did the same, and it turned out all the way burnt. He chuckled, not minding it, and ate it anyway. Wendy raised an eyebrow at this and pursed her lips, beginning to nibble on hers. Bill laughed and ate his as well. Extremely gooey, it was, and a little crunchy too, but it wasn't exactly difficult with how sharp his teeth were. Steven smiled, and you could see the marshmallow sticking to his teeth. Connie chuckled, and put hers into a s'mores sandwich.

The demon giggled, and would show off his teeth too, but it would creep everyone out and he didn't want that. He took another marshmallow and stuck it on his stick, holding it over the fire again. This time he intended to put his on a little sandwich. Wendy hummed and took hers off, also fixing it into a sandwich. She could already tell it wouldn't be as good as mom's, and held back some tears. Steven, not noticing how the teenager felt, just popped another uncooked marshmallow in his mouth. Connie took a bite of her sandwich and smiled. She split the sammich in two, and gave Steven the other half, which he graciously accepted with a smile. He began eating it.

The storm outside was barely even thought-of, but it still continued. Though it was noticeably lighter and gentler. The waves told a different story, however. Bill kept an eye on his marshmallow, and sighed happily. This was how he wanted life to be. How he wanted it to stay. But he knew once that storm let up... he frowned and shook himself, trying not to think about it. He knew Steven would have his back, after all, and perhaps Connie and Wendy too. The redhead teen ate her sandwich, just as silent as the triangle was. She was also trying not to think about something. And was failing miserably.

"So... anyone got any cool stories?" Steven, having finished off the s'mores sandwich, asked, breaking the silence, putting another marshmallow on his stick, over the fire.

"Eh... not really, kid," Bill frowned a little, and pulled out his marshmallow from the fire. It was a perfect golden brown this time around. He set it into his little sandwich, took a bite out of it, and drank it down with his hot chocolate. "Unless you, or I, want to cry like a baby or have nightmares for a week. Or, worse, the two combined."

The redhead grimaced, knowing exactly which two stories—though she knew it wasn't limited to those—to which the demon was referring, "No, no thank you..."

Even with all she'd gone through, even with her usually collected demeanor, she did find herself tearing up during the reading session, her harsh yet then true opinion about him losing its strength with every page, and afterwards as well. She remembered breaking down when she was finally alone, just for a few moments—though it may have been longer. The redhead honestly couldn't believe that was the life Bill had lived—it was _that_ bad, and "bad" was an understatement. And yet, it explained a lot about his gleefully psychopathic, sadistic, and vicious behavior.

"Wendy, can you tell us a story? maybe like a ghost story or something?" Connie suggested.

The redhead once again snapped out of her thoughts, and then smiled, "Ah, a scary story, huh? well, okay, I can do that."

The demon chuckled then. He'd have to pretend to be scared with this. But he still looked forward to the tale. Steven seemed excited, but nervous. All of a sudden, the lights in the house dimmed, and Wendy grabbed a flashlight from her pocket, turning it on and shining it on her face in that creepy way. She began, tone and expression creepy as well, "It was a dark and stormy afternoon... just like this one... in the town of Gravity Falls, the forest was off limits, especially on that day, the thirteenth Friday.."

Wendy paused to eat and then drink it down. Bill ate his s'mores, and sipped his hot chocolate, paying close attention to her.

"Oh..." Connie was totally into it. Steven was already shuddered. He scooted closer to the fire.

"Many monsters roamed in that forest," she continued, gesturing accurately, "too dangerous for the mind to bear witness."

Of course, she was exaggerating for the sake of the tale. Some of the monsters and creatures there were pretty friendly. Bill smirked at Connie and Steven, savoring his sandwich. Connie chuckled. Steven balled up a little bit more, wrapping a blanket around him.

"But one of them is the most dangerous of them all, and it is called..." she glanced at Bill, trying to think up a parodied name. Everyone in Gravity Falls knew he was the most dangerous and most powerful creature in town and around. This wasn't lost on the demon at all, and he started fidgeting. The redhead noticed and just made up a name, shouting it, "The Pyra!"

"Oooooh!" Connie said, and then laughed, elbowing the shaky Steven.

"This creature lurks behind the trees, searching for souls who failed to listen to the warnings to devour," she continued, deadly serious. "Its only cries are unholy shrieks belonging to a demonic legion as it nears its prey, and by that time you only have seconds to run."

Bill noticed she avoided saying what it looked like. Good to add to the story. But he knew exactly what she was talking about from reading her thoughts and the name itself. His nightmare form. He squirmed. Steven was really shaky now. Connie hugged him. The lights dimmed further as she resumed the make-believe tale, a little softer, "It eats souls for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Nothing will stop it, and nothing has. For it still roams the forest any time of day. Searching for fresh blood..."

Bill smirked a little, getting over his discomfort and deciding to pitch in, and he discreetly duplicated himself and made the duplicate into the monster, albeit a smaller version of it, with extremely long and sharp claws and no top hat or bowtie. It popped up behind Wendy, and shrieked that unholy shriek she described, and she screamed, "OH GOD IT'S REAL AND IT'S HERE!" dropping the flashlight, and got up and ran in the direction of the bathroom. Bill could barely stifle his chuckles.

Steven almost started crying, before he bounced up, with Connie, and they fused, and somehow got Rose's sword. They were about to stab Bill's duplicate before they heard the real one's laughter and unfused. Connie looked upset. Well, they both did.

"Hey, that wasn't very nice!" Connie exclaimed. Steven just hid behind her, looking distressed.

The "Pyra" fizzled away, back to the demon, and Bill's snickers rose to out-and-out laughter, and he was truly incapacitated with the spasms, rocking back and forth. He managed to say, "Man, your expressions were priceless! I wanted to add to this horror story somehow!"

Wendy slowly peeked out from the bathroom door, frazzled. Once she realized it was safe and it was just Bill pulling a prank, she frowned.

Steven had tears trailing down his cheeks. Connie was still in front of him, holding the sword defensively. She looked really angry. "That wasn't funny, Bill!" she shouted.

The laughter died away quickly when he caught sight of Rose's sword, and he blinked, "It... it wasn't?"

"No, man," Wendy spoke up, winded, still hiding behind the door. His brow furrowed. Wasn't that what a horror story was though? he glanced around, confused. And that's when Bill saw the boy's tears, and his "heart" dropped. He put an ashamed hand on his bowtie, "Oh..."

Steven shied away from Connie, and went back to bundling up in blankets next to the fire. He continued to roast marshmallows, but it wasn't the same—they were salty. Connie hugged Steven after she put down the sword, and kind of glared at Bill. The demon cringed. And just like that trust seemed to be gone again. He teared up himself, before the tears evaporated, and sighed, "Sorry, kids... I just... I just wanted to make her horror story feel more... well, horrifying. I wasn't going to hurt you guys..."

The redhead finally stepped out, passing the triangle and picking up her flashlight and turning it off. She was silent, and then she looked down at the demon and shrugged, a forlorn expression on her face. Steven sighed. "I'm sorry... I just get really scared easily," he turned to Bill. "And you really freaked me out..."

"Well, heh, I guess we're both real sorry guys, then..." he smirked halfheartedly. "It's fine. I'll just make a note to myself that you're not into that kinda thing..."

Even though he already knew. He'd just gotten caught up in it. It wouldn't happen again. He promised himself that. Wendy sat back down, smiling a little as she picked up her mug of hot cocoa and finished it off. It was just like Steven to bounce back. Connie still looked upset, but not as much. "Are you okay though, Steven?" she asked.

"Yeah, don't worry about me," he smiled.

The demon, even with the reassurance, still felt terrible about the whole thing. He made Steven cry, in a horrible way. That was just... ugh. It just wasn't something the boy should do. He looked down at his hands, his cup sitting by his side. God, he'd changed _so_ much. Wendy felt the air was still tense, and spoke up, hoping to break it, "So.. what's next, dudes?"

"Well, we could just eat more s'mores, maybe turn on some TV?" asked Steven with a smile.

"S'mores sounds good," Wendy answered, while Bill seemed zoned out. "What's on TV though?"

"I'm sure they're doing reruns of Crying Breakfast Friends!"

She blinked, "Well, okay. I'll see about it," and then she got up and started her way back to the attic. The demon stayed put, still staring at his hands like they were completely unnatural.

Steven also went up, "I can bring the TV downstairs!"

Gabriel was watching them from beneath the bed, silent and unnoticed.

"I... uh..." and then she remembered Steven's strength, "I'll just go back down and watch."

She headed back downstairs, lips pursed. Bill still wasn't here mentally. She looked down at him, sitting beside him, the side of her mouth twitching. The boy carried it down all on his own and placed it near, but not too close to, the fire. The demon sighed, finally stirring, and looked at the television. He stuck a marshmallow on his stick and held it over the fire, finishing off his sandwich as well. Wendy hummed for the duration, looking over at Connie. The brunette looked to be half-asleep, hardly paying attention. She yawned.

Steven started it up, grinning. The redhead blinked, and then paid close attention to the television. She didn't try making any more s'mores. She'd burn them. Bill watched as well, pulling out his marshmallow. It wasn't done yet, so he put it back in. Like Wendy, Connie didn't eat any more either. Steven ate a lot of uncooked ones.

"There's.. lots of crying," Wendy noted after a while, eyes narrow with slight confusion. Bill chuckled a little, and pulled out his marshmallow again. It was golden brown again, and he put it on a sandwich and started eating.

"Well, the word 'Crying' is in the title..." Steven chuckled.

"I.. didn't think it would be literal," she frowned a bit. This and the show made Bill laugh even harder. Steven shrugged, and was overall disinterested; likely he had seen the episode a million times. The redhead couldn't exactly find the appeal. Everyone seemed to forgive and get along way too quickly, for one. And then she thought about it. Steven was the same way. Could that be why he found it nice to watch?

Bill finished off the s'mores, and leaned back, still watching. He had to admit—he found it nice watching this too. But for different reasons. He liked tears sometimes, and often they cried over the littlest, most insignificant things. He found it funny. The episode then ended with all of the characters hugging.

Wendy blinked, "Well. That was something."

The demon chuckled, "A happy ending. Everyone loves those, am I right?"

Connie was conked out. Steven smiled and nodded, and so did the redhead, "Totally, dude."

Bill chuckled, and then started wondering, while placing a blanket he conjured up on Connie, whether they themselves would all get a happy ending...

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaaaand that's it. The end.

NO, JUST KIDDING! XD  
Haha, we've still got plenty more to do before we can put this to rest, so yeah. Ace had Steven and Connie (and Gabriel had a cameo), and I had Bill and Wendy. :3 What a day it's been, eh? for them, I mean. So, leave a lengthy review, and I'll see you next week!


	48. Unearthed Secrets, Buried Crimes

**A/N:** wHEW, so I'm getting reviews now! and it's always good to hear that someone's not dead. :3  
Anyway, I'll leave you to reading this. I know most of you have started school around this time. So I wanna say good luck. HAPPY READING~

 **Note: This Chapter continues right where the CGs (and Keyhole) left off.**

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Forty-Eight: "Unearthed" Secrets, Buried Crimes**

Pearl sighed. She had been unable to get back to sleep, and it had been thirty minutes since they took a break. So she stood, and looked around again. Things still looked the same, only there were a few more cracks that weren't there before. The tall Gem frowned with confusion. Was this actually the Zodiac Temple and they had just come into the basement this whole time?

Garnet was still resting, but less hard than she had been, with her arms crossed. She had a dream about Steven, that she was checking up on him, and then it faded into another dreamless sleep. Amethyst didn't really dream, and Keyhole technically couldn't. Pearl walked over to Amethyst, and shook her, harshly whispering, "Amethyst, wake up..."

Amethyst snapped awake with a groan. Keyhole snapped awake too, sat up, and then bolted ahead, towards the door, excited to get moving. The tall Gem couldn't even say anything to the purple Gem as she noticed the demon first. She jumped a bit, "Keyhole, wait!" she bit her lip, slightly running after him. "It could be dangerous!"

Garnet woke up then too, and stretched out as she got up. She felt refreshed, and that was good for what they were about to face. She looked down at Amethyst, and then where Pearl and the demon were, and tilted her head. Keyhole slowed to a slight jog, entering the hallway, and gasped, "I can... I can sense them. They've been here!"

Amethyst yawned and went after them, a bit confused however. And Garnet did too, narrowing her unseen eyes slightly. Pearl frowned, "Who has? _more_ of you?"

In this hallway were decrepit runes etched into the cracked walls and floor. Very few of these runes were triangles. The tall Gem found this strange.

"Yeah... I wasn't alone when I came to Earth. We were led by Gabriel and his fearsome Cluster Demons... we didn't have a choice," he looked down.

"Cluster Demons?" asked Amethyst, frowning.

The tall Gem was somewhat reminded of the infamous war. They all had a choice, and yet they didn't, when they came down to Earth to protect it. But she was focused on the Cluster Demons. Yet another similarity. She sighed, "Let me guess, they were made with the parts of other demons?"

Garnet stayed quiet, simply listening, scanning the hall for any danger. So far, there wasn't any, but they had to be careful still. Keyhole nodded, looking up at the pale Gem. "If you didn't obey Gabriel... you got turned into one of them. It was horrible..." he shuddered.

Garnet almost let a growl escape her lips. It almost reminded her of how Homeworld had perverted fusion, twisted it into something that should not be.

"Ooh," Pearl frowned, glancing back and up at Garnet. "That's not good at all."

He sighed, looking down and saying nothing now. The fusion set a hand on Keyhole's shoulder, calming herself down. She said, "It's not your fault," and then walked to the front of the group.

Pearl grimaced. She still felt a little anger exuding from her, and that was never good. She looked down at Keyhole and then at Amethyst, before she looked straight ahead again, continuing to walk. Keyhole followed her, barely comforted.

"Ugh... all we ever do is walk," Amethyst grunted, trudging along with them.

"Well, we don't exactly have a choice, do we?" the pale Gem asked matter-of-factly. "The Warp Pads leading to our destinations were broken."

And then she began to wonder why. Garnet hummed a bit, the usual frown on her face deepening. Keyhole nodded. "Well, that's life..." he sighed.

"Sadly enough," Pearl agreed. They soon reached an area with doors again, but they were different. They didn't have extravagant symbols on them—but simple ones. They were just ordinary doors. Garnet tried to see ahead, but overall couldn't. Just darkness there. The tall Gem meanwhile found interest in these doors, wondering what was behind each of them. Amethyst chose a door at random and opened it.

Pearl was about to shout, but she realized, with the lack of alarms, that this wasn't that type of room. It seemed to be a place their kind held information. The Gem stepped up, followed by Garnet, and looked in. There was nothing of particular note in this room. Just some old technology that had long since fallen into disuse. They most likely had information on them though. The fusion looked around some more, around the room, adjusting her visor. There was one particular door they had somehow missed. Faded into the wall, it had a warning inscribed upon it in their language: "DO NOT OPEN". This only piqued her curiosity, but she decided to act upon it later.

Amethyst then went on and opened all of them except the one she didn't notice, the one that didn't want anyone to open it. Many of these rooms, along with the obsolete technology, had triangular statues, but the eye they each had was gouged out hurriedly, and the many details that had been there were eroded. Pearl felt uneasy staring at them. Garnet pursed her lips, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu as she gazed upon them, and then looked over at that one door. What was beyond it? she checked her future vision. Nothing bad would happen once she or anyone else opened it, because whatever was in there had been defunct for years. She walked over to it, inspecting it more. There were other writings here, but they were scratched out in favor of the warning starkly shown. And these writings spoke in favor of the One-Eyed One—that he would lead the Gems to great knowledge and salvation. She placed a hand on her chin. Keyhole was a little afraid of this place, clinging slightly to Pearl.

The Gem, after sparing the demon a glance, noticed the fusion's interest in the door, and walked over. She gulped when she saw that warning, and asked, "Um, Garnet... are you sure about this..?"

The fusion nodded, "Yes. I want to see what's behind this door."

The Gem still seemed unsure, but she quieted for the most part. Garnet then looked at the others, and called for them to assemble over here. And they did, Keyhole still a little afraid, while Amethyst seemed a bit neutral. The tall Gem hummed, placing a hand on it. Pearl still seemed anxious. She didn't want to open this door. But if Garnet thought it was safe...

Keyhole then blasted it open in a rare act of courage. Pearl jerked her hand away, eyes wide. Garnet nodded with gratitude and stepped inside, summoning her gauntlets just in case. The tall Gem frowned and followed her. The room was large and blue, metallic too—a stark contrast from the ancient appearance in the rest of the place. There lay some more ancient technology, strewn about the floor. But the most interesting thing was the large machine in the center, at the very back of the room. It towered over them all, and it was an upside-down triangle. Pearl's eyes were wide, and so were Garnet's. More flashes of déjà vu she had. And it wasn't the good kind.

Keyhole stared. He recognized it, and uttered, "It's... a portal..."

Amethyst gazed at it, amazed.

"But to what...?" the pale one walked forward, a little closer. Upon close inspection, she could see that some crucial wires were cut in a hurry, and there were some dings in it too. Something bad had happened here. So bad that this place was abandoned and forgotten about. She was starting to think that maybe there was a reason the Illictic Cashid was disconnected from this place...

The fusion shivered, as if threatening to separate. It seemed as though one of her components didn't like this place. But she kept herself together the best she could.

"Look at this place!" the purple Gem exclaimed, and then laughed. The demon looked over at her, a little surprised by her reaction.

"We're looking," Garnet stated, disgruntled. She wanted to leave, but didn't want to leave her friends here. So she stayed, staring at the machine almost like it was a convicted murderer.

Pearl was a little irritated her question wasn't answered, but didn't press. She backed away from the dismantled portal, and focused on the technology here. One of them seemed to be a journal of sorts, similar to Peridot's screen, but more ancient, so she picked it up and started trying to figure out how to get it working. Keyhole charged up and fired a blast at the machine, and set it aflame. He had cut ties with Bill, so he decided to take it a step further.

"Wow..." Amethyst was in shock, watching this occur.

Gem technology was usually resistant to flames, because of Rubies, but demon flames seemed different. The portal soon started to melt and become disfigured. Whatever trance into which Garnet was trapped had faded. She blinked and looked around. She saw Pearl and walked over to her, observing. The Gem was still trying to activate the tablet, murmuring a little bit, "Almost... got it..."

Keyhole, for good measure, then set the journal on fire as well. The purple Gem gasped, and seemed disappointed. But was rendered speechless.

"Agh!" Pearl dropped it before her hands got burned, and it started becoming disfigured too—if it wasn't working then, it definitely wouldn't work now. She groaned, almost glaring at the demon, "Why did you do that? I wanted to get some answers! _now_ how will I go about doing that?"

Garnet didn't speak, at all. But she somewhat agreed with his motion. Pearl didn't need to know. She, for this matter, and Rose, for another matter, kept this part of Gem history from everyone for a reason.

"You didn't need to know what was on there. None of you should. This is over and done with, and we should move on," Keyhole sighed. Keeping the peace was hard.

The Gem had a hard time digesting that information right now. She already found it hard to move on from Rose and that's been fourteen years. She opened her mouth, about to argue, but the fusion interrupted, unnaturally cool, "Keyhole is right. The past is the past. And it will remain that way."

Pearl flinched a little and frowned, groaning again, but quieted, looking down at her only chance to get some answers. Maybe she'd find out later?

...she didn't know. But she hoped it'd be soon.

Keyhole nodded. Amethyst glanced at the smoking ruins on the floor and sighed, finally speaking up, "So much for that..."

"Well, I'm glad _someone_ agrees," Pearl crossed her arms, looking snooty with her nose up in the air.

Garnet sighed, finally dispelling her gauntlets, "Let's just go. We're wasting time," and, not waiting for an answer, started to leave the room. They shouldn't have opened that door. Bad things _did_ happen. Just not the ones she expected. They should _not_ have opened that door...

And so, with new tensions, particularly from Pearl, they followed her out of the room, closing the door behind them without looking back.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, so if the Wham in Chapter Forty-Six and Chapter Forty-Five wasn't readily apparent to you, then it's in your face this time. XP  
Hahahah! so we explore perspective with the CGs and Keyhole again.  
I had Garnet and Pearl, and Ace had Amethyst and Keyhole. XP I really hope you enjoyed this! and please leave reviews~


	49. A Cursed Earth?

**A/N:** Thank you all for the favs and follows! I'm so glad you're enjoying this. It'd certainly make Ace's day too. :3  
I also see some anonymous reviews! I shall answer!

/Darkness Hunter (ch34 and Ch48): Well, now that you mention it, that particular form of Bipphire _would_ fit Bill; glad you brought that up. But Ace and I are intending to keep him as his usual and only true form, the triangle, for the duration. Besides, as shown before, him using his powers for too long and all tires him out. Maybe in an AU? but glad you're enjoying this story!

/dogsdogsdogs: Nice to see you again! and you didn't miss it. It's alright. xD And aww, thank you so much for the nonexistent tip of the ol' Bill Cipher hat! I'm glad you think everyone's in character and all. We felt we were wobbly with some characters, but for a while now we know we've been doing well with them. It's good to have continued assurance. :3 I like it too - it's both our ideas, to keep the story in full circle. It makes it more real that way, instead of having people suddenly show up with little explanation or flashbacks. Though flashbacks aren't necessarily bad, it just won't fit this story. Wendy's one exception, I guess. xD aND it's time for the next chapter, so moonwalk back on over here and enjoy the read!

So, with that taken care of, here's Chapter Forty-Nine! :3

It's a little short, and skips to another perspective, but it's pretty insightful, I believe.

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Forty-Nine: A Cursed Earth?**

Lapis was standing on the little strip of land, staring at the sky, and the storm, far, far away. She seemed relieved inwardly, that she got Jasper away from Beach City and from Steven. Jasper looked around. "There's nothing here... we need to find a warp so we can start looking again!" she looked at Lapis expectantly. "I presume you've traveled this planet long enough to know where at least one Warp Pad is..."

The blue Gem looked over at her, frowning a bit, but nodded, "I think there's one in a nearby town..." and she pointed north.

The Quartz grinned, "Let's go then!" and then started off in that direction, glancing at Lapis to make sure she was following her. And she was, walking at a brisk pace, hugging her arms. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. But where would she go afterwards? and what would Jasper do? would she really hold up to her promise? or would she still shatter her?

Jasper was considering her possibilities. She knew she couldn't let Lapis go. The water Gem had to be reported to Yellow Diamond, as did the rogue Peridot, wherever she was. Lapis closed her eyes for a little while. She looked around, taking in everything. And then something struck her, and she was horrified on the inside. Of course, she had taken them away from Steven. But for how long?

Jasper frowned. She picked up some grass, pulling it out of the ground and crushing it in her grasp. "Hmm... there was something about this planet, a problem with it..." she muttered, trying to think but having problems.

The blue Gem raised an eyebrow, coming a little closer, but not too close, "A problem?"

She was a little confused by this. What did she mean?

"Yes. I skimmed over the Earth information. This was supposed to be a colony, but there was a problem with the planet of some sort..." she continued onwards, deciding it wasn't worth it to waste time thinking.

Lapis, however, did spend time thinking on this, following her. A problem? Earth colony? and they couldn't do anything with this? of course, when it came to Steven, she wouldn't let that happen. And was glad it didn't. But what had happened that they couldn't?

"Lazuli, if something happens to me on this mission, you're my honorary second in command. You get the responsibility of reporting to the Diamonds, telling them what happened, and, if we find her, returning the rogue Peridot," Jasper announced gruffly. She had finally decided she could trust the water Gem.

And this snapped Lapis out of her thoughts. Her mouth was wide as she stared at the large Quartz. She hadn't expected this at all. She was so used to being held prisoner. But being an honorary second-in-command..? she soon nodded vigorously, leaping at the opportunity to be treated like an actual Gem among her own kind, "O..of course! I won't fail you!"

"You better not. Now, come on, we have to hurry. I don't like the looks of this place," she started to run in the direction in which Lapis had first pointed them. Lapis nodded, feeling chilly, and then started running after her. She hoped they wouldn't get to the Warp Pad back at Steven's place sooner than expected...

* * *

 **A/N:** And I hope you enjoyed that one! Ace had Jasper, and I had Lapis. :3  
Nothing much to say, but I hope you leave reviews. I like reviews and discussions. :3  
Also, since this chapter is so short, I will be posting the next one this Saturday or Sunday. You're welcome!


	50. The Failing Steps

**A/N:** Aaaaaaa! as promised! and I want to thank those who followed and faved me and this story! like, MorriganVanHellsing. I really appreciate it. And the reviews warm my heart, as always. :3 So, the story must go on. Say hello to Chapter Fifty! it's also short, but I promise you, the next one is going to be much longer.

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Fifty: The Failing Steps**

Garnet had her arms crossed, walking through and staring into the darkness she had seen before. They had long since exited that room. But there was still quite some tension from Pearl. Said Gem looked around, frowning. She sighed, narrowing her eyes, "There should be a staircase here. Where is it..?"

Amethyst gasped, and pointed upwards. There were the stairs, higher up—the lower section of them must have eroded and weathered away. The pale Gem followed her finger and then gasped too, much more dramatically, "Oh my stars! it's happening much more quickly than we anticipated!"

But that shouldn't have been possible. No way could an entire bottom of a staircase have collapsed on its own, even in such a large time lapse. The fusion sighed, "We're going to have to get up there somehow..." and then glanced at Amethyst. She spared Keyhole a glance too, if only to let him know they still acknowledged him.

Amethyst got out her whip and prepared to strike it up there, so they could climb up. The Gem and the fusion waited, the former trying not to freak out anymore. When the Illictic Cashid finally reconnects with this place, everything should be restored to its former glory. The purple Gem whipped, and it eventually caught. She began to climb up. Keyhole wanted to be last, so she gestured for the other two to go next.

Pearl nodded, and grabbed onto the whip carefully. She began shimmying up it, eyes narrowed with concentration. Garnet waited until they were both on the stairs before she started climbing up herself. Amethyst got up there and jumped onto the stairs, which held her weight just fine. Pearl also jumped onto the stairs, but with grace. She looked down, waiting for Garnet now. The fusion took a while, but eventually she managed to climb onto the stairs too. And then she, once she stood up, looked down at Keyhole, and shouted, "We're all up here now."

Keyhole climbed up too. He jumped on and he smiled, "Alright... that was good."

"And our journey has yet to end," Pearl shortly replied, and turned around and started up the stairs. Garnet nodded and smiled back at Keyhole, and then followed Pearl. Amethyst led the way, way up ahead of everyone, laughing all of a sudden.

Pearl frowned a little, "What's so funny?"

Garnet was somewhat wondering what it was too. She had a bit of an idea, however. Amethyst was about to answer when there was a cracking noise and a step gave out underneath her. She grabbed onto the staircase, trying to pull herself up, but ultimately having no footholds to do so, and it was a long fall downwards.

"Amethyst!" Pearl shouted. Garnet sighed and ran forward, grabbing Amethyst and helping her back up. The tall Gem followed, her frown deepening, "Now we have to worry about failing steps this time? ugh, I'm tired of this!"

Garnet exhaled. She was tired of this too. But they were almost there, to the end of their long journey. And they could finally go back home. Amethyst smiled a little, "Thanks, Garnet..."

Keyhole looked up and was bewildered by the number of steps.

"You're welcome," she looked up too, and grimaced. She stepped ahead, and began to mark the safe spots. Again. Pearl followed her steps. Again. This time grumbling about their rotten luck. Amethyst followed, careful but not too careful. Keyhole mostly just used his powers to avoid the trick steps. They had a long way to go up these stairs, but they eventually found a door. Garnet stepped over, still being careful, and opened said door. It led to another hallway, with yet more doors. Zodiacs of every kind were inscribed everywhere. She hummed and walked in, and Pearl trailed behind her, defensive and cautious. The pale Gem hoped to find information on the machine they found in the basement, but that was unlikely. Amethyst displayed interest in said inscriptions, but confusion as well. Keyhole pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes as he looked around. And so they continued on their merry way.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's that! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, everyone! Ace had Amethyst and Keyhole, and I had Pearl and Garnet. :3 Next chapter is coming Thursday!

Note: I'll be resuming college tomorrow. But that won't stop me from updating, especially since these chapters are already prewritten and ready to go and I only have four classes this semester. However, at a certain point, I'll have to start converting the roleplay into chapters again, but I hope I won't stray too far from once, or twice depending, a week.  
Also, PREPARE FOR THE SOLAR ECLIPSE! IT'S COMING TOMORROW TOO! if you guys can get any pics, I'd love to see them. You can submit them on my Tumblr, The Cosmic Blogger! ((stupid links)) and I hope you all have a wonderful day and week. :3


	51. The Calm Before The Real Storm

**A/N:** I suppose the notif/review squad wasn't here for Chapter Fifty. lol Anyway, have Chapter Fifty-One. I had looked through and made sure no other chapter had the same name. XD  
So, here ya go! I hope you enjoy~

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Fifty-One: The Calm Before the Real Storm**

It was calm in the ocean. But the storm behind, gentle as it now was becoming, still raged about the waters near where the twins were heading. But their concern wasn't the storm. Not anymore. Peridot had amassed several checkers, chuckling. Surprisingly, she was winning, despite her confusion earlier and how alien it had been. She grinned, holding her cards, "This is so much fun! I'm winning!"

Stanford was frowning, looking a little shocked and disgruntled. He was staring down at his cards, and bit his lip, "That you are... it's remarkable..."

Stanley chuckled, "But not for long..."

Darkly, he discreetly pulled a card from a sleeve into his hand. "Ha! a full house!" he held them up proudly, grinning.

Peridot frowned slightly, and looked at her cards. Her eyes widened, and she held hers up too, "I think this is what you call.. a 'Royal Flush'. Whatever that means," and then she grinned again.

Stanford almost tossed his cards away, exasperated. He made a mental note to himself that Peridot could learn very, _very_ quickly, and could put that to use in a highly advanced way. And that maybe he shouldn't teach her any more games that usually involve money. Stanley's eyes widened, "Are you counting cards? Poindexter, did you teach her how to do that?"

Never mind that Poker was a game of luck.

"I don't know if I did or not," he shook his head.

She reached forward for the rest of the checkers, grinning still, and the man just gave them all up, no questions asked, and he put down his cards. He picked up his Journal, and wrote down his mental note. Stan pushed his piles to her too, with a heavy heart.

"Well, that's that," Ford sighed, setting aside his Journal.

"Wait, we're not playing again?" the green Gem seemed saddened. This was the first time she ever had fun, in public, in her life. She had had to hide what little she could do for fun before, and often had fun in private. Back at Homeworld, fun not related to work was looked down upon; it was all business. And sometimes the business got... bloody. She sighed.

Stan shook his head. "It looks like the storm's let up a lot since we started playing. We might be able to make it through now..." he looked hopefully towards the clouds. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we get to go home."

Peridot looked back at the storm as well. It _did_ seem calmer, and the waves weren't thrashing like they were before; they could indeed traverse through it now. Ford smiled anxiously, beginning to put away the game, "You mean 'go to Antarctica to investigate the strange anomaly', Stanley. That's what we set off to do in the first place, after all."

The Gem tilted her head at this, becoming curious. She wanted to ask, but held her tongue. She figured maybe she'd find out.

"Oh..." Stan frowned a little, and then he nodded, smiling, "yeah, that too." He got up and headed to the wheel to get the three of them on their merry way. The game was now put away properly, and Ford's stomach growled again. He frowned a bit. The first thing they'd do, he promised himself, was to get a bite to eat. And they had to ask where Bill was anyway—if the demon wasn't showing off, that is. He smiled again, as he glanced at the case in which the quantum destabilizer was contained. Finally, they'd save the world again.

Peridot still looked rather sad, but she pushed it aside. The time for a confrontation was nigh, she felt. And, frankly, she was getting nervous too. This.. "Bill Cipher".. seemed incredibly powerful, considering how these two humans talked about him. She honestly didn't know if they'd all stand a chance. Stan seemed excited to finally be moving again. He put on his captain's hat and sped up the boat some more, turning it back towards their destination. At this rate, it wouldn't take long at all for them to arrive at this strange city.

Eventually, the smile faded into a frown of grim determination, the face Ford'd been wearing for nearly the entirety of this trip. He was ready. Stan was ready. He looked forwards, picking up his Journal and pocketing it in his trench coat. They could see land, in the distance, getting closer and closer every second, and the waves weren't a bother at all this time. And neither was the rain, for it faded to the point of near nonexistence. Peridot was also looking forward. But instead of grim determination, it was fear. Fear of what may happen to them. Sure, she had hope that things would be okay, but hope could only do so much.

"So, let's go over the plan one more time," Stan began, glancing at his brother. "We get in, we find Bill, and then we shoot him."

Ford nodded, sparing his brother a glance as well.

"Peridot," the ex-conman then continued, "stay with the ship and make sure everything in here is safe."

The green Gem frowned, but didn't exactly object to this. She understood the need for security, and sighed, saluting again, this time correcting it to the more Earthly one Stan had taught her, "Yes, sir. Um, I mean, captain."

And there was a plus to this. Should Lapis and Jasper happen to arrive at Beach City, she'd be safe on the boat and would be able to hide in the lower levels or behind the safe. It was a win-win. Sort of. She still didn't want anything bad happening to those two. But this demon needed to be stopped. And these two humans seemed capable enough to handle it. At least, she _hoped_ so.

Stan chuckled. "Hey, do you wanna wear the captain's hat?" he held it out to her, with an encouraging smile. She kinda reminded him of Mabel.

Peridot blinked for a while, and then smiled a bit, especially at the smile he gave her, "Uh, sure?"

She stood up, walked over, took it and set it on her head, but the triangular hair was making it a little harder. Yep, the moment her hair dried, it immediately fixed itself. But she felt proud nonetheless, setting her hands on her hips and laughing. Ford looked up at her and smirked, but his expression was still majorly serious. They were about to face a world destroying, reality-warping, evil entity, after all.

* * *

Bill had gotten himself another cup of hot chocolate, and was relaxing in front of the fireplace, bundled in blankets. Wendy was lying near him, trying to wrap her head around the show they all watched. She hummed a little bit, and then looked out the window. The vicious storm had passed on, but it still wasn't exactly sunny. The redhead grew a little apprehensive at that moment, but she made sure to hide it. Connie was sitting by the window now, having woken back up a while ago, looking out. Steven was lying on his bed. And then Wendy's phone soon began to ring.

The teenager somewhat paled. She knew who this was. She took a deep breath, gathering her wits about her, sat up and got out her phone, answering it, "Sup?"

Bill looked up at her, anxious. He knew who this was too. He clutched the mug he was holding tighter, and made sure he was absolutely quiet.

"Hey, Wendy, we're on our way. We should be there in a couple of hours. Do us a favor and make sure no one's in our way, alright? we're not all too sure what this gun will do on humans," he said in his rough voice.

She nodded, holding back a gulp and a shudder, "Alright, dude. I'll make sure of it."

She didn't say anything else, however, for fear she'd slip up, and was tempted to hang up. But she didn't, and bit her lip as she glanced over at Connie; the brunette glanced at Wendy too, her brow furrowed. Bill watched the redhead carefully, shivering. He, in short, was terrified. Not only for himself, but for Steven as well. His time may be but a short fuse, now. And, again, the boy was going to be in the middle of it all.

"Is everything alright over there? is he still there?" he asked, biting his lip. He gazed out over the ocean, trying to get a better look at the city. Steven, like Bill, didn't do much but watch, mildly curious, but not quite a dead cat.

Wendy nodded, "Yes. And yes."

She couldn't lie. They'd see it soon enough. She looked at Bill, worried. He could take care of himself though, but at the same time she was afraid of that too. The golden demon set aside the mug of hot cocoa and burrowed himself under the blankets.

"Okay. Just make sure no one's in our way, sweetie," and he hung up.

Wendy stared at her screen for quite a while, seemingly shell-shocked, and then she got up, and sighed, brushing herself off and putting away her phone, "Well, that was Stan. He says they'll be here in two hours."

The triangle's breath hitched. So he had a couple hours left. Wait. Why was he thinking this way? he was powerful now, and he could feel it. He could easily defend himself. But he was working to leave his dark past behind. And resorting to offensive magic would undo all of that. Never mind his defensive magic. But his shields and barriers may accidentally deflect the blast back at them. And he didn't want that. Not anymore. Steven frowned, getting out of bed and heading downstairs, "Wait, what's going on?"

"We've gotta go, dudes," the redhead said, completely pale. "The storm lifted, so _they_ are on their way."

She knew, however, that Steven wouldn't want to leave. It was mostly directed at the brunette anyway. Bill slowly came back out of the blankets, and grabbed his mug. He sipped at it continuously, still shivering.

Connie nodded, getting up, "Alright. Come on, Steven, we have to go."

Steven stared. "But... I can't just..." he glanced at Bill, sitting there like that, and then back at the girls, biting his lip.

The teenager understood, and nodded, "I hope you have a good plan, man."

She walked over to the door, and set her hand on the knob, waiting for the brunette. The demon remained surprisingly quiet, thinking on a lot of things. He finished his hot cocoa, and made the cup vanish then.

"Steven," Connie sighed, "we don't have all day. In fact, we only have two hours. You have to come with us... then it'll be over, and you can go home." She looked kinda sad and reluctant. It was a huge change from how hostile and urging she'd been before.

"I..." he didn't know what to say, shaking now.

Wendy wasn't going to intervene. She wasn't going to keep Steven from staying here with Bill. But she wasn't going to stop Connie from trying to convince him to come with them either. Bill looked over at the boy, and sighed, "Last chance, kid. I know you have a plan, and I know I'd have a bright future ahead of me, but... you can go with them, if you want." He then shrugged, "Just sayin'."

The boy eventually shook his head, and spoke, mostly to Connie, "No. I'm staying here with Bill. I have to. Who else is gonna look out for him?"

The demon smiled slightly, but it was full of worry. Wendy nodded again, "Well. That's that. Let's go, Connie."

And she opened the door and headed out, stepping out onto the balcony. She felt like she was forgetting something, however.

"Oh, okay..." the brunette looked even sadder, "stay safe then, or at least try to..." she then hugged the boy, and he hugged her back.

The redhead sighed, and then came back. She had remembered. So she joined the hug, close to tears. Bill watched, and found the resemblance was close to the ending of one of the Crying Breakfast Friends episodes. And he wasn't disgusted anymore. If anything, he was also close to tears. The time of the confrontation was drawing near every minute, every second. But he couldn't bring himself to join in the hug, despite knowing it would probably be one of his last. And his first with Wendy and Connie. He almost felt like he didn't deserve it at all.

Steven noticed and soon motioned him over, "C'mon, Bill, join in.. it's not a real group hug unless it's the entire group doing it!"

The demon blinked, and got up slowly. Wendy looked at him and smiled slightly. She was still a little apprehensive, but the triangle had proven to her that he could be trusted. Bill eventually smiled back, "Okay then, kid..." and floated over to them, and joined in, stretching and wrapping his arms around every participant. Warmth radiated from him, and it felt nice, despite it being dead in the middle of spring. He made sure to savor this, like he was starting to cherish a lot of things.

And then they all began to let go. Wendy, then the triangle, let go first of all, and she wiped the tears from her eyes, "Well, I'll hopefully catch ya later, man." She looked at Bill too, and nodded, "You too."

The demon's tearful smile broadened. Connie smiled sadly at the two, "No one die tonight, alright?"

Bill nodded, "I'll try, kid..." and then looked at Steven. He made a vow to protect him, just then.

Wendy crossed the room, back to the door, and waved at the unlikely duo. The golden triangle and the Gem kid waved back. And then she exited. Connie followed Wendy, bag secured on her person now, and asked uneasily, "D'ya think they stand a chance?"

The redhead sighed, making her way down the steps, "They might, dude. At least, I certainly hope they will."

She bit her lip again. She again never thought she'd say that. But Bill honestly deserved a second chance. A second chance to become empathetic again. A second chance at the good life. It would be a shame if it all died away.

"Me too," the brunette nodded, looking down. She hadn't really gotten to truly meet Bill, and she certainly hoped she'd be able to more. He seemed like a really great guy. And she saw it too. And Wendy, putting an arm around Connie to comfort her, was hoping she'd be able to visit and get to know the new Bill more as well...

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaaand there you all have it! so Ace had Stan and Connie and Steven, and I had Peridot, Ford, Wendy and Bill. X3  
Of course, the plan is going to be more elaborate than that. XD And the story seems like it's coming to an end. What will happen? well, we'll all find out. Hehe! so, leave a review, please. :3 I'd love to hear what you all thought about this.


	52. The Fated Arrival

**A/N:** Hello, everyone! if you're still alive, that is. Hopefully you are and are just swamped with a bunch'a homework. That's probably why some of you aren't reviewing; good luck to those who are going through that. But I'd like to extend a thanks to someone who's put this story in their favorites and set it on alert today. LumpyApple. Or LumpyApples. Hehe. Thank you so very much. I'm so glad you enjoyed the story enough to do that, and that goes to all you followers! also, I noticed I made a few giant boo-boos in one of the earlier chapters - forgot which one. I'll fix it when I get the time. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Chapter Fifty-Two! things are really kicking...

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Fifty-Two: The Fated Arrival**

Peridot was dancing around in the boat, still wearing the captain's hat. She thoroughly enjoyed this, as her large grin also indicated. Ford had one of his arms on the rim, staring out into the ocean. The other arm was holding his stomach. Two hours. Two hours till they could get a bite to eat. Two hours till they could finally deliver the final blow to Bill. He thought for sure that this time the demon would be gone for good. And the world and every universe and dimension would be forever safe from his manipulative tyranny and malicious plans. And they could finally relax.

"Hey, Sixer..." Stan spoke up, looking out into the depths of the horizon, "does Beach City look weird to you?" and then he squinted, trying to look at it better.

Ford frowned a bit, squinting his eyes as well. He could barely see it, but it didn't looked ruined at all, surprisingly enough. This was strange. He shook his head eventually, eyes slightly wide, "No. It looks... _normal_."

The green Gem stopped her dancing, and blinked. She now put her full attention on these two men, frowning slightly.

"Do you think the GSP is wrong? or maybe Wendy got the location mixed up?" he asked, glancing at his brother.

"GPS, Stanley," again Ford stifled a chuckle. "And no. This is the right location. We're in the right place, and heading in the right direction."

He was beginning to think his toss-away theory about Bill having reformed powerless wasn't so far-fetched after all. But that was still an assumption. And they couldn't go off assumptions. Peridot tilted her head.

"Do you think something's wrong with Bill? maybe he left his power in Gravity Falls," Stanley suggested, frowning. "Or maybe we just can't see anything..."

The man rubbed at his chin, humming, "I was thinking of the possibility that he reformed powerless, actually... but we shouldn't rely too much on that. Maybe we're just too far to see properly."

And that was closer to Stan's second idea and to life as well. It was relatively impossible to see intricate details from far away, unless you had mythical eagle eyes. But they'd see smoke too. And then something clicked in Stanford that made his theory about Bill make sense.

Wendy.

Wendy was still alive.

If Bill still had his powers, the entire town, and possibly the state as well, would have been leveled, and every person killed or transformed. But he didn't voice that yet. He had to be sure.

Stan tapped his feet, thinking. Ford began pacing. Peridot watched them, becoming clueless. Of course, she wasn't a mind reader. And they had more of an idea of Bill's abilities than she did. So she asked, "Uh, what's going on?"

The scientist looked over at her, pursing his lips. Stanley glanced at his brother, "I'm driving. Why don't you explain it to her?"

And the green Gem turned to stare directly at Ford now, expecting a detailed explanation. Ford sweatdropped, stopping his pacing, and nodded, "Of course. Well, we're thinking about why Beach City hasn't been destroyed or 'weirdified' yet if Bill's there."

She tilted her head, but was satisfied for the most part, "Oh, I see."

This action made the hat fall off her head, but she caught it with lightning reflexes. Years of being a technician had given her that ability. Ford noted this mentally, being sure to write it in his entry concerning her later. Stan began to speed up, "Let's see if we can get there earlier!"

"Earlier would be great, yes," Ford sighed, setting his hand back on his stomach now.

Peridot set the hat back onto her head, pressing her hair down. But it refused to stay down. She huffed, tried again, but the result was still the same. She frowned, and her eyes flashed a light blue. Everything metal hopped just then, but that was it. Ford patted his pocket, where his GPS was. That felt funny. Stan was vaguely surprised when all the readings went crazy for a second. He piped up awkwardly, "Uh... Stanford... never mind about that weird thing."

His brother nodded, eager to put that behind him, "Of course..."

He had a slight inkling he knew where it came from though. More like, _who_. The Gem still seemed unaware of it all. She scratched at her head, her frown deepening, being careful not to push off her hat.

"No, I mean, all the instruments just went... well, weird for a moment..." he glanced at Stanford.

He frowned a bit, "Oh.. that's strange. Maybe that's just a thing."

The man glanced at Peridot, unsure if he should tell her, or say it out loud. He didn't exactly trust her, never mind all her help and what he could glean from her hints about her past. This power she held could easily kill. And she was unaware she had it. The Gem raised an eyebrow, confused but still a little irritated. Stan glanced at Peridot as well, and then at Stanford, "Hey, Poindexter, come look at this for a second."

Ford nodded, and walked over, curious. Peridot watched them both, eyebrow still raised. His brother then talked in a low whisper, "I think something's up with Peridot."

Ford sighed, and nodded, "So it's not just me..."

But he wasn't relieved in the slightest. Peridot busied herself with watching the scenery change, and had assumed a more relaxed expression.

"I know she's hiding something. What should we do?" he whispered.

"Problem is, I think she may not even know she is," Ford whispered back, biting his lip. "I think we should keep her around. So far, she's done nothing but help us."

But he was still cautious. He'd gotten betrayed before, so he was preparing for it to happen again. He was starting to rethink the plan of letting Peridot stay as security while they took care of Cipher. It was tough.

"Yeah, but didn't Bill do nothing but help you, at first?" asked Stan, biting his lip. He took to watching Peridot closely.

Ford's eye twitched. That he did. And it was all a lie. Perhaps the alien was also lying. But there was something that set her apart from Bill. Something he couldn't quite put a finger on. Said object of their conversation had sat herself down, hugging her knees once more. She looked sad. It was almost as if she felt their vibes change. Ford glanced at her, and soon nodded, "Yes... but there's something different about her.."

Stan frowned, "Like what? her being green?"

Ford frowned as well. And then his eyes lit up as he finally got it, and he voiced it, "No. It's her mannerisms. I've trained myself to see through master manipulators. She's not one. She seems to wear her heart on her sleeve."

Stan frowned, "You sure? then what else could be up with her?" he was completely focused on the conversation now.

"It could be just that she doesn't know and isn't aware," his expression softened, and his tone as well. It went from distrusting, to a slightly skeptical realization. But this realization had some backbone and evidence to it.

"Hmm.." the ex-thief pursed his lips, "do you think—" then the boat slammed into something, and Stan would have skidded back, but for his fierce grip on the wheel.

"Woah!" Ford almost fell overboard, completely caught off guard, but Peridot was fast and agile, and caught him by his trench coat before he did. He stared at her, eyes wide, and she pulled him back on board. He quietly thanked her before he looked around frantically, "What on earth did we hit?!"

The green Gem blinked, becoming just as frantic and forgetting how sad she was. It seemed she was imprinting off of him, but she really _was_ scared and anxious. Could it be that Jasper and Lapis finally found her? she hoped it was just land.

The second old man looked once he recovered, and his eyes widened. "Land... we hit land!" he sounded awfully surprised. A beach sprawled out in front of them.

Ford brushed himself off and looked. He gasped. Finally. They were here. Peridot was beaming. Her hopes were answered. The scientist allowed a small smile to cross his lips, "We made it..."

But he was both relieved and confused to see that the beach wasn't ravaged at all, and that the sky wasn't filled with smoke and odd colors.

"Uh, did we make it to the right place?" he asked, looking up at the dark clouds that had started to clear.

"I believe so..." Ford blinked, scanning the beach. "Let's go find a dock. Maybe we'll get some answers."

Peridot looked out across the beach too. She was certain they were at the right place. Something told her it was, and it wasn't just her GPS. Stan soon got them out of the sand, and starting searching for a dock to dock at. Ford looked across the land still, chewing the inside of his mouth. Nothing was wrong. They soon passed buildings. Nothing was wrong. And there were a few people walking around too, not dead or transformed at all. It was all okay. He found this so strange, but it only fueled his theory that Bill had reformed powerless, or nearly powerless. This was a relief to him. Peridot, meanwhile, took in the scenery with a sort of childlike wonder. It was amazing to her.

"Hmm. He must have moved or something..." Stan mused, frowning.

"But it looks normal," Ford replied. "He would've destroyed this town, and _then_ moved." He continued to rub at his head, "I.. I honestly think he wasn't at full power when he returned..."

This all but confirmed it. The green Gem listened in slightly, but was a little preoccupied.

"I don't know. Maybe he was never here at all and Wendy's call was a hallucination?"

"I highly doubt that..." Ford frowned, rubbing at his head still, "I really do..."

Soon, a dock came into view, and a peculiar-looking fellow dressed in what seemed to be a raincoat, hat, and blue boots was standing on it. Yellowtail looked out across the ocean, searching for incoming boats. He soon smiled when he saw the Stan O' War II, and began waving it down. The green Gem blinked at him. He looked rather strange, she noted. But at least he was livelier than the Ocean Town people. Ford soon noticed as well, and made that same connection. He was oh so relieved. Stan pulled the ship in, "Alright... here we are. Beach City..."

"We made it..." Poindexter muttered once more. He smiled a little. Now they could get something to eat, and then take care of Bill. He looked towards his brother, "Hey, Stanley, are you hungry again?"

Peridot tilted her head at Yellowtail, and he waved at her. She waved back awkwardly, and soon began taking care of the anchor, tossing it down into the ocean.

"I sure am," he then glanced at Peridot. "You can come with us to get a bite, sweetie." He flashed a smile.

She looked at him and blinked, looking confused. She'd never eaten before. She never needed to or saw a need anyway. But she grew curious as to how it would all taste. She hummed and nodded, "Alright. I'll try your human food."

Ford chuckled a bit and patted his stomach, and then grabbed the case containing the weapon by the handle. He already had some money left over, and so did Stan, but he thought maybe more was needed this time around. Yellowtail was waiting for them to step off, and Peridot was the first to do so. They both then examined each other, extremely curious. Stan stepped off, soon after Peridot, knowing Ford would get the cash. And his brother did indeed get the cash, opening up the safe, and then he brought out a few other things. Like ammo. But he felt like he wouldn't need it. Not like they needed the quantum destabilizer. He closed and locked it up, and then joined Stan and Peridot. He looked down at the strange guy the Gem was examining, just now realizing just how short the guy was. He wanted to say something, but figured Stan could take it from here.

"So, where's the nearest fast food place around here?" asked Stan, to the little fisherman.

The fisherman smiled and then spoke, but it sounded like complete gibberish to all of them. Except maybe Peridot, but judging by her raised eyebrow, it seemed even she didn't understand. Ford scrunched up his face, and tilted his head.

"Um, can you just point?" asked Stan, smiling a little, wondering if the man could even understand them, and if everyone else spoke this strange tongue.

Stanford was thinking that same thing, blinking. It was highly interesting. Yellowtail then obliged, showing he did indeed understand them. He grinned, and pointed in the direction of the Big Donut. There were other restaurants lined up here, however, but for some reason he chose that place. Peridot was already heading off, eager to try some food. Stan, eyes widening, soon followed Peridot, forgetting one minor but polite little thing, "Wait up!"

The scientist sighed, and did the thing both of his companions had forgotten. He thanked Yellowtail, before he headed off after his brother. The fisherman nodded and waved, saying "Goodbye" in his language. Not that they could understand. He got that a lot in this town.

Peridot hummed as she slowed down her pace. Two of her floating fingers were on her chin, and it looked a bit odd. She began wondering what this place looked like, all the while looking around at the entire town. It looked wonderful. And lively, and not ravaged at all. This was extremely good. Stan continued to the Big Donut, glad to see that this place wasn't broken down like Ocean Town, and Bill was nowhere to be seen. But that did also make their job harder...

Ford frowned a little, clutching the case tighter, "I wonder what the place looks like..."

He was, of course, referring to the restaurant to which they were heading. Peridot wondered that same thing, but didn't say anything, still taking in everything. The old man was also worried about where Bill could possibly be. Could he be planning? of course he would. He wondered what it could be. But he didn't say anything about that. Stan frowned, "Should we ask people about him, to see if he's contacted anyone here?"

His brother jumped slightly out of his trance, and soon nodded, "I believe we should. We don't seem to be getting anywhere this way. Since we're heading to the... this place, I think we should ask there first..."

The green Gem simply listened. She didn't think she could contribute anything.

"Hopefully they know about him..." the ex-Mystery Shack manager stated with a slight sigh.

And luckily, they both did...

* * *

 **A/N:** Well, I hope you enjoyed. I'm sure you all know what to do by now. So Ace had Stan. And I had Peridot, Ford and Yellowtail, for his brief appearance. X3 Yeee. Getting closer and closer... and le suspense... hehe.. see you all next Thursday!


	53. Directions to the Showdown

**A/N:** Hi, guys! thanks for the love you're giving this story! it means a lot to me! also, I meant to say this earlier, but at the end of this, I'll have an index of the chapters. So for those of you who have those absolute favorite parts, you can easily look and search the chapters there. Since, at the moment, this site doesn't include titles with the chapter dropdown thingy. At least, not on mobile. So, yeah. Without further ado, read on!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Fifty-Three: Directions to the Showdown**

It had only been close to two hours since the vicious storm let up, so business was somewhat slow. Sadie had somewhat gotten over the whole hat thing, but it still made her sick to her stomach. And seeing the news the day afterwards and, more shockingly, being in the _middle_ of it all, made her even worse. She leaned forward on the counter, pursing her lips and then sighing, staring out the door. She wondered how Steven was doing. The very fact that he was around that.. that _monster_ , unsupervised, strongly unnerved her. And the fact that school was still canceled, considering the circumstances, didn't even brighten her mood.

Lars was lounging around too, only looking much more comfortable than Sadie was. He seemed morose, however, but it was hard to pinpoint why. No, it couldn't be that he cared about Steven, of course. He sighed, shaking his head to the beat just a little. The blonde sighed, and glanced at him. Usually she enjoyed this job. But now she was too worried about everything. Especially Steven, and those students who had gotten hurt by Bill's malicious deeds. She pursed her lips, and spoke, "Lars... whatcha thinking about?"

He shrugged, "Lots of things." He then checked his watch. "Hey, there's only five minutes left, think we should ditch? you could come to my house," he smiled a little.

Sadie smiled a bit too, but it didn't quite reach her eyes, "Well... it wouldn't be quite so bad... five minutes..."

She was unsure, however. She felt like she'd miss out on something if she headed out so early. It was strange.

"Come on," he tried softly, "we could play a game we sometimes play, or watch a movie..."

The smile still didn't reach her eyes, and she soon nodded, giving in, "Well, alright then..."

But before they could even move, they started hearing voices, one seeming very confused. Sadie raised an eyebrow, the smile fading.  
"...I think it's coming from right outside..." he sounded and looked disappointed.

And indeed it was. Peridot was standing outside, looking at this strange building. More accurately, the donut on top. She murmured, "It looks so simple..."

She was obviously expecting something more. Ford sighed, not really feeling up to it to laugh, staring at it too, "Well, there's the place. I think. He never said a name..."

But it did seem to be the final building in this town.

"Is everyone else missing the huge sign that says 'Big Donut'?" asked Stan, looking at Ford seemingly irritably.

"I see it, alright," the man frowned. His stomach growled louder than every other time, and he groaned, placing a hand on his tummy. Peridot noticed, and before either of them could say anything more, she pushed open the door to the restaurant. The girl behind the counter widened her eyes at the tall Gem. The only Gem she saw that tall was Pearl. And she looked strange too, what with those limb enhancers and triangular hair. The alien scanned the place, eyebrow raised and lips pursed.

Stan walked up to the counter, greeting them, "Hey, kiddos..." and then glanced at the menu sign, "hmm, donuts...? Poindexter, what do you want?" as if he was the one with the money.

Lars was ultimately confused by the appearance of these twins who didn't have the same kind of art style as everyone else, and this green weirdo. Sadie was too busy being highly confused and amazed to respond. Ford followed and then looked up at the menu as well, squinting slightly. He liked chocolate donuts. But he was looking forward to an actual meal. It'd have to do though. They couldn't waste any more time, after all. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the appropriate cash that he could give to Stan, "I'd like two chocolate donuts."

Peridot hummed and seconded his motion, crossing her arms in a sort of posture only familiar to Stan and the rest of his relatives, obviously something she'd picked up from Ford, "I'd like to try a chocolate donut too."

The blonde spared a quick glance at Lars, seeming to forget, within a split second, that the man and Gem had ordered.

"Yep, three chocolate donuts," Stan repeated, before pausing for just a second. He raised his eyebrows as he then asked, "You two wouldn't happen to know a fella named Bill Cipher, would you?"

Lars immediately looked up at that name, surprised, "What about 'im?"

Sadie snapped out of her trance just then. Her mouth almost dropped, and her eyes widened seemingly impossibly. She then narrowed them, "Yeah.. what about him..?"

Ford twitched a bit. He knew they knew something, just by that. He looked at Stan, and then looked back at the two teenagers, "He's a golden triangular demon. And he's dangerous, incredibly."

The blonde bit her lip and started trembling. Oh, she was so right about him, and he was a _demon_ too... that explained a lot. She started worrying about Steven even more now. She walked over to the see-through refrigerator filled with all kinds of donuts and started searching for their order, silently. Peridot watched her, a little concerned.

"A demon? I knew it!" Lars looked very upset, slamming his fists down onto the counter. He then sighed and muttered, "Well, Steven had it coming to him.." and started to pack a little bag with three donuts.

"Do you know where he is?" asked Stan, looking at the teens carefully.

Ford caught the name. Steven? he wanted to ask, but didn't yet. Sadie then looked down, and then back at Lars. She saw he was taking care of it, surprisingly, and thus walked back to the counter, still looking down. She was still trembling, and then sighed, trying to get herself together. These two men were obviously here to deal with the problem. And hopefully Steven wasn't dead or anything. So she revealed the location, "He's... he should be at the large Temple near the end of the beach. If you keep going the way you probably came, you'll reach it. You can't miss it at all."

Ford hummed and nodded, with gratitude and acknowledgement, giving the money to his brother just then. Peridot looked over at a table, and went to sit. She made sure to be extremely careful though, lest she break the chair.

Stan handed the girl the money, "Keep the change, and thank you." Lars then handed the man the bag of donuts.

"Uh, you're welcome," she smiled, taking the money. But it again didn't reach her eyes.

Ford was about to sit down as well, but decided to ask his question, looking straight at Lars, "You said something about a Steven..."

The green Gem took to observing the conversation, her head tilted a little bit. Steven? Stan passed a donut to Ford, who took the donut and began chewing on it, and then walked over and passed one to Peridot, sitting down and starting to eat his own donut. The green Gem grabbed the donut as well, and tilted her head at it. She was a bit unsure how to do this. Lars listened intently, waiting for him to finish whilst looking like he didn't care. Or trying to, more likely. Ford's eyebrow was raised, and he was still looking at Lars, "Is this Steven a friend of yours?"

Sadie frowned a little, staring at Lars too. The man was trying to talk to him, interrogate him. He seemed only focused on him, so the girl didn't answer.

Lars shook his head, "He's no friend of mine..."

The man nodded, but it was clear he didn't exactly believe it. He hummed, "Okay then," and then looked at Sadie, "thanks for your help and the donuts."

"Uh, you're welcome," she smiled nervously and nodded. Her stomach was tied up in knots, and she felt she couldn't say anything more or protest against what Lars had said. This wasn't good. She then made to put the money away.

Ford then headed to where Peridot and Stan were seated and sighed, sitting down himself, putting the case in his lap. He then continued eating his donut, while the green Gem continued to try and figure this out. She was turning it all kinds of ways, "This is an intriguing item... and this is what you call a 'donut'?"

"Yep. Just take a bite of it," Stan said dully.

She nodded, and proceeded to "take a bite out of it". She, by the starry look in her eyes, obviously wasn't disappointed in the least. The ex-conman glanced at the donut with mild disgust after a few more bites, and then looked at his brother. "Poindexter, after we get rid of Bill for good, how about we go out and get a real meal, in celebration?" asked the old man, with an excited smile.

Ford smiled back, but it was weak, "That would be great, Stanley. I'd absolutely love to get something other than donuts. Not exactly filling."

Sadie couldn't even protest. She was listening in too. As long as they  
got rid of Bill, they could complain all they wanted. But they had probably come a long way too. So she was beginning to understand.  
And then it finally dawned on Lars. His entire posture lifted and his eyes widened with joy as he stared at the twins, and grinned, "Wait, you guys are getting rid of Bill? that's awesome!"

Stan smiled a little, too much in his mouth to speak. Ford nodded and swallowed, smiling a little too, "Yes. We are. For good this time. Glad you think that's 'awesome'. He's been a large threat for years, and it'd be nice to be rid of him once and for all."

Peridot kept eating, at a slightly rapid pace. But she made sure to savor it all. Sadie stayed quiet, still listening.

"So this demon guy is a big threat..." the young man mused, and then his grin widened as he asked, "hey, how about I lead you guys to Steven's house?"

The offer, though, wasn't out of the kindness of his heart, mostly. It was just so he could get out of having to close up shop. However...

"No," the old guy immediately declined, the smile dropping off his face, "it's much too dangerous."

Sadie quickly, yet silently, agreed. She'd seen and almost experienced what the demon could do, even at his state then. Who knows how powerful he could be now? and, as much as Lars could be a jerk, he didn't deserve it. Ford hummed, taking another bite from his donut. There goes that name again. He hoped this Steven was away from his house.

...Was this Temple Sadie mentioned his home?

Peridot finished eating, and smiled. She wanted to say it was incredibly good, but didn't want to interrupt.

"We deal with dangerous stuff all the time. It's Beach City. And I'm not afraid of some weird demon!" Lars proclaimed, furrowing his brow.

"Then you don't quite understand just how dangerous he really is..." he mumbled, and then looked Lars dead in the eyes. He spoke again, with a steel fire in his voice, "Whatever you faced, whatever you dealt with, is nothing like the monster of which we speak. Trust me. He's _leagues_ above them."

"You really should listen to him, Lars," the blonde finally chimed in, sounding and looking really afraid. The look this guy was giving off sent chills down her spine, along with what he was saying. The first and last monster she encountered had given her a scar and she managed to fight it off, despite it being invisible, by the skin of her teeth. But Bill Cipher was a much _different_ beast.

"I met him before," the teenager quickly scoffed and dismissed the warnings from them both. "He's just a huge jerk, nothing more. Did I mention how he shocked me?" Lars asked, narrowing his eyes now and leaning forward more.

Stan then decided to speak up, shooting and fixating a stony look onto the youngster, "Bill Cipher turned almost everyone in Gravity Falls into a statue and made a throne of living human agony out of them. He almost killed my grand niece, and just about destroyed the world, and would have, if it weren't for my brother's quick wits."

Lars's smugly confident yet annoyed expression quickly dropped into a frightened, shocked one. Sadie's eyes went wide even further. So _that's_ what he was capable of... she shuddered, and then she started trembling again. Peridot looked at her, highly concerned. Ford nodded, brow furrowing, "Do you get it now, Lars? he's a menace far beyond your comprehension and your experiences."

And then he thought about what the teen had said. Bill had only _shocked_ Lars? another piece of evidence that fit the theory that he returned depowered. Along with the fact that the whole entire town was alright. He inhaled, and then exhaled, finishing off his donut, finally. It would stave off the hunger for a while, but he certainly needed more than this. Lars was freaking out at the moment, kinda, and he stammered a bit, before he finally managed, "Wow... he didn't seem capable of all that..."

Stan finished his donut, cut through the conversation, "Come on, Sixer, we should go. No time to waste..." and got up and then opened the door.

Ford nodded, and got up, case in hand once more. Peridot did too, and spared the two teenagers a worried, empathetic frown before she left. The old man ran a hand through his hair, and finally came to terms with it. He voiced it, "Because he came back near powerless. And because he's a master smooth-talker." He then made like he was tipping a hat, "Have a good afternoon, you two. And stay here."

And then he started to leave. Sadie was shocked into silence, eyes still wide. Lars was also silent. Stan exited after his brother, and the door closed behind them. The two teens were left staring, much like the time they had met Stevonnie. But this time, it wasn't out of a stunned awe, or of admiration. But of complete shock and dread. And all thoughts of locking up shop and leaving to spend the rest of the day together relaxing were completely shattered.

Stan pondered over the entire conversation back there, and then spoke up, softly, "He must still be pretty weak then. Do you think an ordinary weapon could kill him, if we needed to resort to that?"

Ford shook his head, "Weak or not, he's still an interdimensional entity. I don't think normal weapons will do... but it's worth a shot."

Peridot sighed, and looked in the direction of the ship. Did she _have_ to go back? the strange fisherman was there, and he could watch over their things. But if she did, she would be safe in case Jasper and Lapis decided to show up... but then, in that case, what would become of Ford and Stan? it was relatively a tough choice.

Stan soon chuckled, "Worth a shot, eh?" and pulled out one of Ford's fancy space guns, smiling.

His brother chuckled a bit too, just now taking note of his unintentional pun, and pulled out his own, twirling it with skill. Peridot watched them, and frowned, having finally made up her mind for the most part, "So, uh.. I'm just gonna go back to the boat. I liked those donuts by the way. Good luck."

And she started walking away, though it was highly reluctant.

"Stay safe, sweetie," Stan frowned soon enough though. It wasn't like she'd be well-protected there. It wasn't like she could even defend herself, as far as they had seen. She might even drive off with their boat... he became mildly suspicious now. But it wasn't like they could trust anyone out here anyways.

She looked back, smiled a little, and nodded, before she continued down the boardwalk. Ford frowned too, and waved, watching her vanish into the town. He was suspicious too. But this was what the plan was. _Someone_ had to watch over the boat, after all. But still... he soon shrugged, and sighed, "Well, are we ready?"

Though this question was pretty much rhetorical. They _had_ to be ready. Stan nodded, "Let's go," and started running towards the area the teens had pointed out.

Ford nodded too, and then followed him, soon rushing into the beach and then traversing across it. Soon, Bill would be no more, and everyone spanning across multiple universes and dimensions would be safe. And, again, they could all finally relax...

* * *

 **A/N:** And there it is! coming up fast, is it not? hehe.  
Anyways, Ace had Stan and Lars, and I had Sadie, Peridot and Ford. X3  
I hope you enjoyed it, and as usual, please leave a review! Ace and I enjoy them. :3


	54. Facing Fears and Reality

**A/N:** ALRIGHT! please note: this is not the end. lol In fact, at this point, I'm not sure when the end is gonna come. It's been a while since we worked on this story overall. But don't worry. We have several more chapters to go before we have to go on a hiatus. Also, I've got some reviews! yeeee!

/catscatscats: Ah, I missed you! and thanks for liking that. I really liked that too. Thank Ace for that. :3 Hehe, Lars and Sadie are highly shocked, tbh. I mean, who _wouldn't_ be? well, the wonders shall be answered now, within this chapter! and it's guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat! so enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Fifty-Four: Facing Fears and Reality**

Back at the Beach House, Steven couldn't stop staring at the window from the kitchen. He was waiting all this time, terrified of what was to come. Bill, meanwhile, had found a sort of safety in the bundle of blankets, but he couldn't help looking out the window every now and then. He could feel them. He could feel they were here, and their auras were getting closer and closer. A tremble tingled his frame. He was also terrified. And yet, at the same time, he had little reason to be. This was kinda conflicting.

The boy finally tore his eyes away from the window and focused them on the other two demons who had come out of their hiding places long ago, and said, "You guys should hide..." and then he glanced at Bill, "you too. I probably could reason with them, right?"

"You probably couldn't, kid," the golden demon sighed, still underneath the blankets. However, his top hat, which was somewhat sticking out, was a dead giveaway. "But you _did_ successfully reason with _me_ , and, well, I was a total sociopath." He chuckled halfheartedly.

"I think he could do it..." Gabriel smiled, while Pyronica frowned slightly, crossing her legs. "I mean, I was void bent on killing you, Bill..."

Bill eventually smiled too. Not that they could see it at all. He couldn't understand why he was underestimating the kid again. The boy managed to reform two _demons_ , each with _trillions_ of years of insanity and psychopathy embedded within, in a few days, _and_ the Void itself in an hour or fewer. He should be able to convince two old men. Then again... he sighed, and eventually nodded, "Yeah... you were, but now we're family again. But I think convincing Stan and Ford that I've truly gone good might be harder... ya know, considering my former reputation..."

"Yeah," the flame demon's frown deepened as she put in her two cents, "those guys really don't like Bill, like, _really_ don't like Bill."

Steven frowned, putting a finger on his chin, "Hmm..."

The triangle sighed, but all they could see was his top hat "bowing" briefly. He eventually came out from under the blankets, revealing the worried look on his eye. He could find a better place to hide than that, but Ford had this kind of sense, which he most likely developed while they were working together. He shuddered a bit.

"Hey, who said we have to stay here? we could teleport away!" Gabriel suggested, smiling a bit.

"I'd rather face them, to be honest," Bill declined. "I want to show them I've changed." And then he drooped, "Even if it means I die..."

Pyronica smiled a bit, standing up, "Welp, I hope you don't die. I'm not sticking around here..." and then vanished to who knows where.

Bill frowned a bit, but it was for the best. Pyronica didn't need to be in the middle of this too. He then said to no one in particular now, "I hope I don't either..."

"I'll make sure you don't, big brother," Gabriel looked at him with a smile on his eye. "Don't you worry, I could totally sabotage their weapons!"

Bill smiled back at the pink star. Big brother... it's been so long since he was called that. It filled him with warmth. He chuckled, "D'aw, thanks, bro."

And then a giant shudder overcame him. His eye went completely wide. They were _extremely_ close now.

"That's them, isn't it?" the star noted, and then proposed again, "so, sabotage or no sabotage?"

Steven shook his head, speaking up, "I don't think that's a good idea."

The triangular demon soon began to reconsider sabotage, and shook himself as well, "Yeah, I agree with the kid. That might fuel the reason they came here. Best thing to do is, well, do a Steven."

He then smiled again, the shakes still there but not as present. They soon began to hear footsteps thump against the stairs, slowly, and getting louder with each step.

"Alright. I'll... I'll just do this," Bill's brother turned from pink to yellow, and then floated onto Steven's shirt, right where the star was, closing his eye so he was practically invisible. Bill then looked around. He would be biting his lip if he had any. He'd be biting his nails too, but that would look too creepy. He eventually decided to hide under the bed. He wasn't sure if it'd make as much of a difference though.

The boy remained seated in the kitchen, Gabriel sticking to his shirt like glue. Eventually, there was a knock on the door. Ford hummed to himself, taking in all the details. This was really interesting. They would have been here much earlier, but he had to stop to doodle this structure into his Journal, much to his brother's dismay. He bit his lip preparing for this. And then he wondered why he was knocking instead of barging through the door...

Steven shuddered, and stood. He decided he'd answer it and cautiously walked over, and opened it, just a little, not enough for them to enter. He saw a tall old man. Two tall old men actually, who looked almost exactly the same. Ford looked down at him, eyebrow raised. He made a few deductions. This must be Steven. He cleared his throat and spoke, "Uh, hello."

It was a bit awkward to talk through the door this way. He thus wondered if the boy had something to hide.

"Hello..." Steven waved a little, smiling nervously. "Come in," he then opened the door wide enough for them to walk in.

Ford nodded, and strode in, "Thank you."

Stan followed, frowning. His brother kept his case by his side, as he looked around the place. The strange platform and the strange door caught his attention, but he couldn't exactly focus on those right now. They were here for one thing, and one thing only. But they couldn't be rude. He sighed, "Nice place you have here... Steven, isn't it?"

"That's right," the boy nodded, and then sighed, "listen... you guys are here for Bill, right?"

Ford's eyes widened, and he nodded, narrowing them, "You know him then..?"

He didn't know why he was so surprised. Lars mentioned Steven when he reacted to them interrogating both him and the other girl about the psychopathic demon.

"Yeah, I do," Steven answered, and then frowned, staring at them. "I know you guys think he's really bad. But he's not. He's changed—for the better. He's not the same person he was when he caused Weirdmageddon..." His eyes turned pleading, "You have to give Bill another chance."

Stan, who had rolled his eyes, widened them when his ears caught _that_ word—the event that nearly ruined Gravity Falls _and_ , for want of quick thinking, the _world_. Gears started turning in his head. How did this kid know about it?

"Why should we?" the old man's eyes narrowed even more, not seeming to pick up on what his brother had. "He's a master manipulator and a magnificent actor! he could be lying to you!"

Bill overheard, and screwed his eye shut. He really regretted it. He really did.

"I know he's not," Steven sighed. "We've been through a lot together..." he then looked away, thinking about when the demon first washed up, to the picnic, the beach with Connie and Wendy, the school, the tower, the Void, and the wonderful time with s'mores. It couldn't be that Bill lied, after all that. He saved his life even. _Four times_ , too. He had to have changed.

Ford frowned deeply, "I've been through a lot with him too. That's exactly what he does—acts all friendly, and then betrays you when your guard is still down."

He began pacing, the case still in hand. He seemed to forget that the boy knew about Weirdmageddon somehow. He was too busy being outraged, and too busy trying to actually find Bill, who was still cowering underneath the bed. He knew he was here. He just didn't know the exact location. Stan eventually cleared his throat. "You mentioned Weirdmageddon..." he recalled, staring at the boy still.

"Yeah... I know what he did. I know how he tortured you guys. He's not the person he was when he did that! he's better now!" Steven pleaded, hand on his chest.

"Wait, how'd you know about that event? did Wendy tell you?" the scientist stopped his pacing, staring at the boy fully now. He was slightly fuming. All words that Bill was a "better person" went through one ear and out the other. The demon wasn't even a person. This kid must have been brainwashed.

"Wendy mentioned it... but Bill told me the truth about it. What he did... and he's really sorry," the boy looked down, remembering the bad times, particularly when Bill tried to strike himself with lightning.

Ford seemed to consider this, raising an eyebrow, _"He_ told you..? _and_ he's _sorry_ for it?"

He became conflicted. Was Bill really sorry? or was he simply acting? the triangle held back a sniffle. He'd started crying. Silently. He wanted to come out, to try to help, but he knew Ford would immediately try to shoot him.

"Yeah, it's true. I promise..." Steven smiled a little. He glanced for a split second towards the loft, and slightly shouted, "Hey, Bill, come out here and tell them how you feel..."

Stan put a hand on Ford's shoulder, whispering, "This is our chance..."

But the demon didn't. He was too terrified. Which, again, was a confliction, considering he now could easily take care of these two, or like Gabe said, sabotage their weapons. But that wasn't what he wanted to do. Ford nodded, and brought out the quantum destabilizer quietly, setting the case down as his eyes narrowed. He soon yelled, "CIPHER! come out! I know you're here!"

Still, Bill didn't budge. He trembled underneath the bed. Steven backed away a little, staring at the weapon with a little fear and anxiety, "Please don't kill him... he's a better person..."

"He must have brainwashed you," the old man's eyes were wide at the boy's insistence. "There's no way he can be redeemed. He can't be trusted! stay back, Steven. I'll save you from his manipulation." He then yelled again, "Come out, Cipher!"

The triangle flinched with every sentence. He still didn't come out. The only thing that did come out was a whimper. Stan and Ford thought this was incredibly weird, while Bill thought it was highly undignified.

"He didn't manipulate me or anything!" the boy cried out, "call Wendy up right now, and you'll know the truth..." he looked down again, feeling really scared, and uncertain. He knew what he believed.

Ford gasped, "He's got Wendy too?" and then his eyes narrowed. It certainly explained her uncertain tone over the phone. His fist clenched, and he turned absolutely red in the face. It would be funny if the situation wasn't so dire. He cocked the weapon, and growled, "Get out from your hiding place, Bill. Right now."

It was starting to sink in though, as slowly as it was. The Bill he knew would never hide. He would never whimper either. He would face this, with that cheeky, psychopathic grin on his eye, and would destroy them both, as well as Steven. His expression thus softened only a little bit. The triangle felt this change, but still didn't come out.

"He hasn't 'got' Wendy. Please... he's a really great guy, you just gotta give him another chance..." the boy, biting his lip, looked up at him, and then Stan, who had a fierce face of disbelief, and then looked at his arm as he rubbed at it, "I thought he was pretty bad too... but he's not... I mean, he was a total jerk. He shocked Lars, and did other stuff. But then, I don't know, something transformed within him. He's had plenty of chances to do something with me, but he hasn't, and he's..." he sighed, drifting off, and wondered why he was trying if these guys would never change their minds anyway.

The scientist glanced down at the boy for a while, considering this for a long time. He was beginning to realize that the boy had a point. It's been since Sunday since Wendy called them up. It was now Tuesday. And the boy was completely fine, along with the entire town. But it was hard to stick, particularly since the theory that the demon was still weak was still in play and had even turned into fact.

The golden dream demon eventually sighed. He couldn't take this. He had to out there and help this along. So he did what may end up being complete suicide. He stopped hiding, getting out from under the bed and revealing himself to the twins. His eye was a little red and puffy from crying, and he carried himself overall not like the Bill Cipher the twins knew and hated. He sighed, "Hey, uh, Sixer... Fez..."

Ford rounded on him, near instantly, narrowing his eyes again. Now was his chance, right here. But why wasn't he taking the shot immediately? he was a little confused by that. Stan gasped, and pulled out his gun immediately, aiming it at the triangle. Steven could only watch in fear. He knew he was strong enough to take these two men down, but that wasn't in the opinion of what he was trying to prove. Bill gasped too, and was tempted to hide under the bed again. But he didn't. He stayed, and even floated down and levitated by the stairs. He began to speak, "So, uh... you came all this way... just to see me? I'm.. I'm flattered..."

His attempt to lighten the mood fell flat on both himself and Ford. His heart just wasn't in it. The old man aimed the quantum destabilizer at the triangle too, just then. Bill freaked out even more, "No, no, I've.. I've changed. Really! the kid's right!"

"Don't shoot him!" Steven stood in the way. "Please... give him a chance. The Bill you guys know would already have done something, wouldn't he have?"

"Get outta the way, kid!" Ford bellowed, and the boy shuddered, deeply afraid. But he didn't move. The old man's hands were starting to tremble, however. Steven's words were starting to get through to him. This Bill... wasn't the same Bill he knew.. was he?

Bill nodded frantically, and glued himself to Steven's back practically, peeking out at the elderly Pines. He didn't like this though. It'd give the twins the impression he was using the kid as a shield. Which he wasn't. He soon sighed, "Please listen to him... I'm not out to destroy anything... not anymore.. he's really changed me."

Stan rolled his eyes again, still aiming his gun. He was growing impatient. _Ford, just shoot him already... run around the kid or somethin'._

"Move," Ford clutched his weapon tighter, ignoring the demon's words altogether. He was still aiming it at them, but it was all too clear he was becoming hesitant. "Go outside. I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want you to see this. Wendy should've evacuated everyone from this place."

The triangle started shuddering too, and sighed, "Kid... I don't want you hurt.. I really don't."

The old man could hardly believe what Cipher was saying. And it sounded genuine... but wasn't that what he wanted them to think? he was beginning to become confused and conflicted.

"No, Bill, I'm not going to leave you. I can't let you get hurt..." Steven bit his lip. He knew Bill could defend himself too.

"Well, I can't let you get hurt either," Bill started crying, silent tears. "Just do as they say... I... I think I'll be fine..."

Ford withdrew his finger from the trigger just then, just a tad. He could still hardly believe this. He was biting his lip as well, eyes narrowed. What was he doing? why was he doing this? he was asking both himself and Bill. He was certain he was getting the wool pulled over his eyes. But at the same time... he wasn't... Steven was on Bill's side, and the plump guy sounded completely and utterly genuine. And... so did Bill, actually... that and that wasn't what the demon he knew would ever say or be willing to do at all...

He huffed, grinding his trembling to a near halt. His mentality that Bill was tricking them all still wasn't gone. He remained skeptical, to the highest degree. Stan stayed silent throughout the whole duration, still aiming his gun at Bill.

"I won't!" Steven shook his head, almost crying. "I won't."

"Kid..." the demon sighed and then drifted off, almost crying as well. But he didn't. He didn't wish to cry in front of the twins. Stanford almost lowered his weapon, but stood his ground, still aiming it at them—Bill mostly.

Steven put a shield up, "I'm going to protect you, Bill..."

Stan rolled his eyes, "Puh-lease. We can all see that you've just brainwashed this kid into doing what you want!"

"But I haven't!" the demon pleaded. But it was falling on mostly deaf ears. "Please, kid... what if they decide to shoot? I can't lose my first best friend..."

Ford was slightly touched, his eyes slightly wider too. This really wasn't the Bill he knew. But... what if this was a trick? this made him think. Would the Bill he knew ever put another above himself in this way? he didn't think so, because his manipulation was always built to benefit himself and only himself. And the Bill he knew never really, genuinely cared about _anyone_ human. This was way too confusing, way too conflicting, and too much to take in, and he started trembling again, biting his lip. He barely noticed the shield had come out of nowhere, for he was too focused on trying to sort this out.

"Neither can I lose you... come on... lower your weapons, please..." Steven looked at them with fear, and hope.

Stan did not. "Poindexter?" he raised an eyebrow, glancing at his twin.

Ford didn't lower his weapon either. Not yet. But his hands began to tremble as well, and he growled a little again, "So... this isn't a trick?"

He was still very skeptical. Bill nodded, "No. It's not a trick at all, IQ. You would've been dead the moment you entered the house... but you're not.."

The twin took a deep breath, and closed his eyes for a minute. His ex-Muse was right, surprisingly. It was becoming a little easier to sink in. But he still didn't lower the quantum destabilizer. Steven nodded, but said nothing.

"So, what caused this 'sudden change of heart'?" Stan asked, briefly using air quotation marks.

Bill blinked at Stan, and then pointed at Steven, "More like _who_ , Fez..." and then he smiled a little, "this little guy, right here."

Ford kept his weapon up, and took to staring at the boy right then. He could hardly believe a boy reformed a _demon_. But he decided to step back, metaphorically, and let his brother handle this. Steven smiled a little as well, nervously.

"I can't believe this," Stanley gripped his gun a little tighter. "Poindexter, can you?"

Ford shook his head, "No. I can't either. This is so strange..."

He wanted to put down his weapon, but again, he didn't. He wanted to make sure Bill wouldn't pull a fast one on all of them. The demon stared at them both, a little nervous and scared. Stan took a deep breath, "Step aside, kid..."

Steven shook his head, "Never!"

Ford's brother fell silent, glancing at his brother, and then at the unlikely duo. He didn't know what to do. On one hand, he wanted to put down his gun. But on the other, he just couldn't reconcile this with the part of his mind that was screaming, "BILL CANNOT BE TRUSTED!" Bill was tempted to move in front of Steven or push him aside. But he didn't. The atmosphere was tense. It was like one wrong move and everything would change. Stan sensed this, and did not move. Steven continued to protect Bill, biting his lip. "Please," he asked again, "put your weapons down."

Ford frowned, and was surprisingly about to relent, lowering his weapon only an inch. Bill's eye widened at this. He could hardly believe this. But he didn't float out from behind the boy yet. He could still feel the apprehension. Steven seemed to lower his guard a little bit more, but Stan stayed where he was.

"Are you sure about this...?" Ford asked Steven again, but he knew it was futile at this point. Bill furrowed his brow with worry, eyeing Stan closely.

"Yes. I promise. It's okay," Steven nodded, "I promise it is..."

The air was tense, as many seconds ticked by seemingly tangibly. And soon Ford did something he thought he never ever thought he would do. He lowered the quantum destabilizer. The demon blinked twice, with shock. He was unable to say anything for now. And neither was Ford. Steven made his shield vanish, and stepped away a little, smiling brightly.

Stan soon dropped his pistol and grabbed Ford's quantum destabilizer, before aiming at Bill and taking the shot before anyone could stop him. Bill yelped, and attempted to dodge the blast. Ford could only look on in shock. He couldn't even berate his brother for this, for he was still conflicted about it all. The star on Steven's shirt hopped off, and got in the way of the blast. The yellow faded away, and Gabriel's true pink form was revealed, before it faded away too. Steven was left in shocked silence, the smile having been wiped off his face. Ford's mouth dropped open even more. There was another demon like Cipher? he could hardly believe this. He thought the triangle was the last of his kind, never mind Kryptos and Hectorgon. Bill gasped, reaching a futile hand out for him, "N..no, Gabe!"

"Oh my god... Gabriel..." Steven stared. There wasn't anything left of the little star. Nope, not an atom. He was gone. Bill dropped to his knees, closing his eye. Unwittingly leaving himself vulnerable to any attack Stan might pull next. His brother... his only blood family... was gone... and they had only just started to get along again. He began to curse his luck—why would he have expected a truly happy ending with a last name, discarded though it was, like Nolis?

Ford just kept staring, unmoving like a statue. Thoughts raced through his head. Would Bill become angry with them and remove them from existence now? it was making him incredibly anxious. And scared too. Stan dropped the quantum destabilizer eventually too, looking at the scene before him.

"Bill... are you okay?" Steven soon sat beside the demon, staring at him and biting his lip.

The triangle shook himself, choking on a sob, and answered, "Does it _look_ like I'm okay..?"

Bill, however, found he wasn't exactly as sad as expected. It was a simple blow to his heart. But that was it. He guessed it was because they had yet to truly be family again. He sighed. Ford stepped forward slightly, but otherwise didn't chance any more steps closer. He didn't know what to do now. He really didn't. But he had a hand on his other weapon, just in case something happened that wasn't in their favor.

Steven eventually glared up at Stan, before his look softened. "I... you just come in here, threatening to kill my friend, and you killed Gabe. Come on! nobody kills Gabe!" he sighed. "Please... just leave, okay?"

Stan didn't know what to do or say, frowning slightly. The only demon in the room eventually clenched his fists. Loosened them, and then clenched them again, repeatedly. He stood up, glaring at the two elderly twins, and wiped the budding tears away from his eye. He growled a bit, "You heard the kid... _get. Out_."

This certainly wasn't what Ford was expecting to happen. This whole scene wasn't what he expected. But that glare and his tone of voice sent chills down the old man's spine, and it wasn't even the kind of glares of he was used to. He was lucky— _they_ were lucky—Bill didn't decide to strike them down right then and there. But he didn't go away. He couldn't even move. Steven decided to remedy that, walking up to the man and picking him up, beginning to bring him outside. That shocked Stan out of it, and his eyes widened as he watched. And it shocked Ford out of it too. He was more shocked at the fact that there was another of Bill's brethren than at the boy's strength, though. He soon stammered, "I.. uh, didn't mean..."

But it was awkward, because half of him wasn't sure if he actually meant it. Bill, after picking up the pistol and quantum destabilizer Stan dropped and bending them irreparably backwards and tossing them away into oblivion with his magic, soon followed the boy outside, still glaring. He hadn't been angry in quite a while, but it regardless wasn't a new feeling for him. However, none of the urges to kill the offenders were present. Granted, it wasn't as deep, and wasn't explosive either. Stan eventually followed them, down the steps, and Steven put his brother down on the sand, with a sigh.

Bill couldn't even speak, but he kept clenching and unclenching his fists, glaring at the twins. Ford got up and stared down at the boy, eyes wide. He sighed eventually, and cleared his throat, "This is... rather awkward... I didn't mean that... it was meant for..." and then he drifted off.

The triangle huffed, his pupil flashing a bright crimson for a second. The old man jumped back a bit. That was new. Or was it? he wasn't sure.

Stan hung on this, pointing dramatically at the demon, "See, Ford, Bill really is evil!" and was about to launch into an argument, before...

"No, he's not!" Steven interrupted, eyes burning with tears. "It's like if Ford died. How'd you feel? would you be happy? no, you'd be upset too!" he bit his lip, about to continue, "You..." but then he sighed, turning to his friend, "Come on, Bill, let's just go back inside."

The triangle nodded, and then started climbing the steps back to the Beach House, too angry to teleport and still fighting back tears. Stanford watched this, and bowed his head. That star was Bill's brother? intriguing. But he did indeed understand. It was still all too confusing, however. Steven put an arm around Bill, "It's okay... we can fix this, right?"

"I.. I really don't think so..." Bill sighed. "Last time he was destroyed, he found a host. This time..." tears appeared in his eye.

Ford shook his head, and then began walking away. He couldn't stay here. He felt as if Bill was going to turn around and do something. And, for some reason, he also felt awful. He actually seemed to empathize with the little demon. And he found it shocking. Stan rolled his eyes once more, and began walking away too.

"Maybe he did this time. I mean... we can't give up hope!" Steven bit his lip, trying to come up with something, some idea, something that would fix everything as he opened the door and led themselves in. Bill shook himself, and decided to say nothing. Tears were pouring down from his eye. He couldn't hold them back anymore. Steven pursed his lips, and then ran back outside. He had to do something.

Bill stayed inside, however. He couldn't even reach the couch. He just collapsed right there by the door, letting the growing depression consume him once more...

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we go! hope Bill wasn't too awkward for ya, newly-christened Shogun of Sorrows. But, well, it was prewritten anyways, couldn't/can't exactly change it and don't want to. xD Because I like it.  
Aaaanyywaaay... WHAM! WOOOOOO! WHAT A CHAPTER, HUH? I bet you weren't expecting that. I wasn't expecting it either, okay? neither of us were, I don't think. Hehehe. So, I was Bill and Ford, and Ace was Gabriel, Stan, Steven and Peronica. :3  
I really hope you enjoyed!


	55. Into the Fire

**A/N:** hEHE, I got a bit lazy yesterday and spent the time playing video games, more specifically Super Mario Galaxy 2. But here it is now! on a Friday afternoon! isn't this great?

So.. I got some reviews, and lots of faves and follows. I feel all of you, okay? ;3; lemme reply-

/dogscatsdogs: Ouch... guess that must've hurt. Well, of course it did. And hahaa, I knew it was going to cause seat vibration! I'm glad you enjoyed it. And yeah, Stan is an asshole, but he means well. He's still stuck in that evil Bill way, ya know. Glad you know that he has his reasons. xD Oh, actually, Bill and Gabe did. It was a _sincere_ sibling hug! :3 But yeah, poor Bill.. he's got a lot to stress over and this didn't help at all. Oh, yeah, Gabe. Trust me when I say that I was shocked too. It's an RP collab, ya know, and the other author handles Gabriel. So I was pretty much like, "OH SHIT." Hehe.

Haha, well, with that said, I hope you enjoy! and prepare to grab the edges of your seats. xD

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Fifty-Five: Into the Fire**

Ford was walking at a fast pace, thinking over all that had happened. He felt ashamed of himself, and yet... he sighed. He couldn't understand. Stan patted his brother on the shoulder, frowning a little.

And then all of a sudden, they heard a familiar voice on the wind, at first distant, but closing in on them with each second.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiit!" Steven shouted after them, running at full speed. The old men blinked, and turned around. They didn't completely stop, however, and raised an eyebrow, seeming to completely mirror each other. The boy stopped a few feet before he ran into them, and pointed at the Temple, "You have to go back! I... he's going to break down. I can't support him alone. Please... he might try to kill himself again!" and then he looked away, tears on his face.

Ford furrowed his brow, halting completely now, "K..kill himself? _again_?"

Apparently there was more to Bill than he realized. He suffered from... depression? this was confusing. Apparently more happened in those two days than he thought... and it definitely wasn't what he thought. Stan came to a full stop too, and scoffed, "Bill wouldn't kill himself! you're being ridiculous, kid."

"You killed his brother. The least you can do is at least try to care!" Steven shouted at him, and Stan stared down at the boy strangely but didn't say anything else.

"How _can_ he?" Ford raised an eyebrow. "He has few weaknesses..."

But perhaps his being powerless for a while probably gave him _more_ weaknesses... the whole idea was intriguing. But it was hard to care. Somewhat.

"It doesn't matter," Steven announced, trembling. "He might hurt himself, and... and I don't think I can deal with that again. So you guys are gonna have to make up!"

Stan yawned, turning around, "I'm going to go back to the ship to check on Peridot."

The old man glanced at his brother, and bit his lip. He sighed, turning to look back at the boy, "I.. I don't know.. I don't know if we can.."

"No, you have to!" Steven picked up Stan then before the man could actually go anywhere, and the latter started squirming. "I can't do this on my own, please..."

Ford was once again stunned by Steven's strength, and then he nodded, not wanting to possibly get on the boy's bad side. He sighed, "Alright. We'll help. Won't we, Stanley?"

Stan was freaking out too much to answer, but instead shouted, "Put me down!"

"Say you'll help me help Bill!" Steven demanded, staring up at him.

"Okay, okay, just put me down!" the old man cried, squirming even more, and the boy complied. Ford bowed his head and started heading back to the Beach House. Stan quickly followed after he recovered from the fear. Steven was tempted to carry them both there, to speed things up. But he walked alongside them.

Bill was still collapsed on the floor, mourning the loss of his brother. He was trembling and shaking all over, and he just couldn't stop. Though, luckily, he'd stopped crying.

Ford looked up at the stairs when he reached the house, his frown deepening. Why was he doing this? he couldn't exactly pinpoint it. But he was doing it. Steven went on ahead, running up the stairs and into the house, and knelt beside Bill, to hug him, "It's okay, Bill..."

Ford was a little cautious, catching up with the boy and then staring down at the two. He was biting his lip, and put his hands behind his back. He was still nervous that Bill would do something now. He was relieved, and _highly_ confused, when the demon actually hugged the boy back, still trembling. He whispered, "How is it, kid? I... I didn't even get to fully know him again..."

"That's... that's okay," Steven hugged the demon tighter. "Hey... guys... can you bring Gabe back?" he asked, glancing up at the brothers. Stan, having caught up with them, shrugged in response, uncertain.

The triangle closed his eye, sniffling. Ford exchanged glances with Stan, and then shook his head, "I... I don't think so..."

But Bill knew. It was a most definite "no".

"Can you try...?" Steven continued, using his best puppy dog eyes.

"We... we're only humans," Ford struggled. But it was mildly easy to resist. He went on to say, "He's a demon beyond our comprehension... I really don't think we can even try."

Bill eventually let go, and wandered off, around the house. Aimlessly. The old man kept an eye on him. But it was so strange at the same time, though he was beginning to accept it. This wasn't the Bill he knew.

"Oh... yeah..." Steven sighed, facepalming. "I should have known something like this would happen..."

Ford said nothing in response to that. Bill was by the Warp Pad for some reason at this point. But before either of them could do a thing, the chimes of said platform echoed throughout the house. Steven gasped, turning to it, "Are they—?"

Nope. They weren't who Steven was expecting at all. Lapis soon appeared, along with someone else, and she looked around. She gasped when she saw Steven, and stammered, "S..Steven?"

Oh no. This was exactly what she feared. Bill looked at them, but didn't exactly react. Ford's jaw almost dropped. He, if these two were who Peridot was talking about, finally truly understood _why_ she was so afraid...

"Lapis?" the boy's eyes were wide, "what are you doing here?"

"That doesn't matter," the blue Gem jumped off the Warp Pad and headed over towards him. "You have to leave."

She seemed to ignore the twins and the strange triangle. Steven was her primary concern, after all. Ford couldn't even ask questions. He was too shocked.

"Leave? why? and to where?" he stared up at her, brows furrowed with confusion.

Jasper eventually looked at them, and sneered, "These are just humans..." she growled a little, jumping off and following Lapis like a hound on a leash.

Stan eventually could only manage a "What?" in flattened alarm.

Ford frowned a bit. Lapis noticed this. Jasper didn't know Steven was a half Gem. The weight lifted off of her, but not totally. She nodded, stepping aside, "Yes. These are just humans. But I was simply trying to evacuate them."

Except for that strange triangle. She had no idea what that was. Bill stared at them. He had received major bad vibes from the orange, burly Gem, and this was enough to bring him out of his depressive trance. So he watched her carefully. And Lapis as well. He didn't think he'd ever see the blue Gem, aside from Steven's dreams.

"What is that?" Jasper looked disgusted as she pointed at Bill, having just noticed him. Steven didn't move, not sure what to make of this yet.

Stan leaned to his brother casually and carefully, and whispered in his ear, "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Poindexter shook his head, whispering back, "I have absolutely no clue..."

The old man then fell silent. Lapis looked back at the triangle, examining for real this time. She couldn't place him, but for some reason he looked a little familiar. Or, actually, _seemed_ familiar. She eventually shrugged, "I don't know."

Bill walked back over to Steven, still staring at the two aliens. Almost _glaring_ , actually. Lapis studied this. He seemed highly protective of the boy, like she herself was. Perhaps she could eventually use this to her advantage...

"Identify yourself, anomaly!" Jasper growled, stepping up to Bill. She towered over him with her natural height, and she glared down at him too.

"Leave him alone!" Steven moved in front of his friend.

The demon immediately grabbed and pulled Steven back. This Gem was not one just _anybody_ could fight. _And_ win against. He then gave his identity, only much differently, narrowing his eye, "The name's William Nolis. And what's _your_ designation?"

He used his old, original, once-abandoned name. He had a feeling Jasper would know a name like "Bill Cipher". Lapis too. And he was careful not to show off his abilities as well. The hydro-Gem simply watched this interaction. She couldn't step in directly, if things went wrong, however. Ford discreetly pulled out his Journal and began recording them both. He, however, despite being into this, did catch the name Bill had given. It was strange. He wasn't expecting a regular name. He then started thinking it might have been a fabrication. But why?

"I'm Jasper. And you're officially my prisoner, 'William'," she narrowed her intimidating eyes, picking him up easily. "Come on, Lazuli. We don't have any time to lose. Yellow Diamond is expecting me back at Homeworld." She began towards the Warp Pad.

Ford raised his eyebrows, putting his Journal away. He didn't contest this, however. He still couldn't wrap his mind around it all. Bill frowned deeply. He could very easily escape her grasp. But he decided not to for now. Lapis frowned a little, and spoke up, "That's not who you're looking for, though, and not who Yellow Diamond wants either! you're looking for a Peridot."

And then the old man's eyes widened. But he made sure to cover that expression up quickly. Stan remained stone-faced.

"I don't care," Jasper shot back, looking back at Lapis. "Yellow Diamond would want to see this... and, Lazuli, remember our little arrangement."—Lapis shrank back a little bit, and bowed her head—"Now... I say we find the Galaxy Warp next, so we know where it is, and then we find that damn Peridot..." she growled a little.

"Wait!" Steven got her attention, "I know where the Galaxy Warp is! leave B- William alone, and take me instead!"

Lapis's eyes widened. She shook her head, slowly. Bill's eye was wide as well. He stammered, "Kid... I got this.. okay?"

Ford stepped forward eventually, carefully, but the words fled his mind before he could even say anything. He stepped back, afraid to confront Jasper. The burly Gem narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say a word. The boy eventually lifted his shirt, "Look, I'm a Gem too! now, leave him here or... or I'll fight you!" but despite this bravado, he was shaking like a leaf, clearly terrified.

Lapis and Bill completely paled just then. There went that plan, was Lapis's immediate thought, and there went Steven's safety as well. Ford's jaw dropped open once more, and Stan gasped a little. That explained _everything_ , and yet led to a lot more questions too. Jasper's eyes widened, beholding the gem on the boy's stomach, and she immediately dropped Bill, who began floating and freaking out. She could hardly believe this, and soon her eyes narrowed even more, and she growled quietly, "Rose Quartz..."

Bill opened a psychic link to Steven, _Kid! I could've handled it... why did you do this?!_

"Rose Quartz was my mom... this is just her gem..." Steven bit his lip, regretting his choice now.

"Hot Belgian Waffles..." Stan managed, glancing at Ford, who whispered, "This is remarkable... a half Gem?"

"No..." Jasper frowned, turning to face the boy properly. Lapis facepalmed, but it was out of worry for the most part. The burly Gem continued, "Impossible! you must have taken on a new form!"

Bill quietly shook himself, and facepalmed as well. He could understand why the Quartz didn't get it, but _man_...

"I'm not Rose Quartz, alright?" the boy was inwardly panicking, "I'm Steven, Steven Universe."

Jasper squinted her eyes. She growled eventually, "I'm not falling for your mind games, Rose!" she then suddenly smirked, and reached for him, "Yellow Diamond would want to see you."

Bill quietly zapped Jasper. It barely had an effect, but she gasped, and it threw her off. Lapis started running, picking up Steven and heading out of the house. She knew what Jasper would do. But she didn't care. Steven's safety took top priority. Ford and Bill immediately followed, and so did Stan. The Ultimate Quartz growled, running after them. She eventually got on all fours, turning into a whirlwind, and spun towards Lapis and Steven, shouting, "Come back here now!"

Lapis continued to run, crossing the beach now. Stan felt at himself for a spare pistol, and eventually pulled one out and shot it at Jasper, for some reason, and she stopped to glare at him, before she started running at him instead. Ford gasped. Peridot was absolutely right. This Gem regarded the shot like it was nothing. He yelled, "Stanley!"

The demon frowned and teleported over to Stan to help him. He wondered offhandedly if the man would let him. Jasper continued charging at the old man, growling and getting ready to pulverize him.

"We have to go help them!" Steven exclaimed, struggling to escape Lapis's grasp.

"LAZULI! COME BACK WITH ROSE OR ELSE!" the Quartz yelled, just a few feet away now, her fist pulled back.

Lapis kept running, not seeming to care, "They've got this covered."

Stan shooed Bill away, and then shot at the Gem again. Or, tried to. The gun had jammed. The old man gasped, and tried to get it working again, hitting it many different ways, "Not right now, not right now!"

The triangle descended upon the man again, set a hand on his shoulder and teleported him away a safe distance, just in time. Ford's eyes were wide. He could hardly believe that happened. But he couldn't revel in the relief for long, for Jasper quickly changed routes and bear-hugged Ford, squeezing him tight and shouting, "I WILL BREAK THIS FRAGILE HUMAN'S BODY!"

The old man tried to break free, but he couldn't. Pain began coursing through his body, even worse because he was struggling. Bill suddenly came back from somewhere and then shocked Jasper again, hoping to free the old man. Lapis stopped to watch, setting the boy down, from a safe distance. Jasper kicked Bill then, not letting go. The demon yelped, rubbing where it hit him.

Stan ran in soon as well, holding up his now fixed gun as he demanded, "Let him go, now!"

But he trembled a little, in fear—he could accidentally hit his brother. Steven wasn't sure what to do. He looked back, wanting to help, but... he was afraid to face Jasper. Once Bill recovered, he upped the voltage on his next attack, narrowing his eye. He couldn't use any other powers for he still feared Jasper and Lapis would recognize him. Otherwise, nothing would stop him. But it was a deadly, confining decision, and Jasper wasn't affected this time. Ford was beginning to black out, stars in his vision. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hold out. He shouldn't die now anyway. He wasn't ninety-two yet for one. But any path could be derailed at any moment...

Lapis looked down at Steven, and sighed, "Are you alright?"

"We have to help them!" the boy pointed at the whole ordeal, staring up at her. He was far more concerned for his friend and two strangers he just met than himself.

Jasper moved her grip to around his neck, "ROSE! LOOK WHAT I'M DOING!" and laughed a little. Stan freaked out and took the shot, but missed the both of them, thankfully yet not thankfully.

Ford's eyes were wide. Jasper was worse than Bill, it seemed, in terms of personality. He was going to die, and was gradually coming to accept it. The blue Gem blinked, staring at Steven. Before she eventually nodded. She stared right at Jasper, and made the ocean attack her, tendrils of water snapping around her. Lapis made sure the water didn't snag the old man as well. Bill observed this, waiting for the right moment to grab Ford and teleport him to safety.

Jasper finally let go of the man, being pulled up by the water. She growled, "What the... LAZULI!"

Filled with rage, she started running at the hydro-Gem, the best she could. But she couldn't even move an inch. Ford had dropped onto and lay out on the beach, coughing and gasping like mad. Bill levitated down to him and cast a powerful healing spell upon him. The old man, as he felt himself get better, never ever thought he'd thank Bill and a random alien for saving his life, Bill in particular. But he found saying "Thank you" extremely hard when it came to people he disliked or hated.

Lapis tried her best to keep Jasper at bay, and shouted, "This isn't our mission, Jasper! we came to secure and detain the rogue Peridot, and report back to Yellow Diamond our findings. Nothing more!"

There was silence. A tense silence. But soon the Gem soon took a deep breath, and exhaled into a yell, "Fine! let me go now, and we can get off this lousy godforsaken rock!" she looked visibly upset.

Steven started his way back to the twins and Bill, watching the two Gems with fear and curiosity. Lapis nodded, glaring daggers into the Quartz, and slowly let the watery tendrils unwrap themselves from the burly Quartz and head back into the ocean. She hoped Jasper was telling the truth. Ford picked himself up, with Bill's help to deposit him next to Stanley, and they both watched this too, the former with fear and the latter with protective indignation. The triangle then latched onto Steven.

She soon glared back at them. "I'll be back, Rose, with a battalion of Quartz soldiers, and then we'll shatter you!" she yelled, laughing, before she walked up to and past Lapis. Lapis spared the group a strange look, before she walked off with her "captain", heading towards town. Bill snarled. He wanted to shatter the orange Gem right now. But he didn't act on it, knowing Steven would never possibly approve of the deed. He sighed, and looked over everyone, "Are you guys alright?"

Ford nodded, but he didn't say a thing. All thoughts of getting a full-course meal were gone. Right now, his mind was whirling all over the place, concerning the recent events. But there was one clear image in the eye of the storm. And that was of a certain green Gem. Hopefully she was still waiting in the ship. Stan was in shocked silence of what all happened. Especially with how Bill saved him and his brother...

It was unprecedented.

Bill glanced at Stan, noting the shocked look on his face. He was expecting more from him, but this wasn't entirely unexpected either. He then assumed he was alright. And Steven too. Lapis had made sure of that.

Ford was still staring the way Lapis and Jasper had gone. Oh, Peridot, please be alright...

* * *

 **A/N:** And whew, you made it through! that was amazing though, right? I hope you enjoyed! I was Bill, Ford and Lapis, and Ace was Steven, Stan and Jasper, and I took Jasper for a little while during Steven's revealing himself as a half-Gem. What An Idiot moment indeed. XP  
But it led to this awesome scene, so.. can't complain. XD  
Leave a review please, preferably long ones. I always appreciate those. :3


	56. Thirty Minutes of Fun

**A/N:** Aaaand here's Chapter Fifty-Six! let's take a break from all the action, kay? xD  
Also, important announcement! my roleplay partner is now here on FF. Her name here is Anonymistress. She's got some great stories, so I hope you check her out! and I'd like to thank E1R1N149, whitediana5ever, and TechBee for favoriting and following this! I know there were more, but this was very recent! thanks, guys!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Fifty-Six: Thirty Minutes of Fun**

The green Gem in particular was still hanging out on the boat, not having drove off with it like the elder twins expected. Not that she knew of their thoughts anyway. She didn't even have the keys, and even if she did, she wouldn't have. She sighed, looking up at the now clear sky. The boat was starting to get really uninteresting, especially since she'd already seen all there was to it. Peridot sighed once again. This was getting really boring, and the desire to see what else was in this town was beginning to rise. She looked around, eventually over at Yellowtail, pursing her lips. Perhaps it'd be okay? maybe she wouldn't run into.. _them_..

The boat rocked, in a way that might lull one to sleep. Except Peridot wasn't one to sleep. Neither was the rest of her species. No. She wanted to explore. She soon called for Yellowtail, wondering if he could watch the boat for her while she was gone. He walked over, speaking in his strange tongue, and then looked up at her, a little confused.

The alien couldn't understand a word he said, but went on with her request anyway, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes a bit, "I'm going to go explore. Do you think you could watch over this.. er.. boat..? ship? while I'm gone?"

He nodded then, the confusion having cleared up. He said some more gibberish, but she could tell he was mostly cheerful about helping out. The Gem smiled then, "Thanks!" and quickly hopped off the boat. She took one last look at it before she started walking across the dock to land, with the fisherman waving her off. Now.. where could she go?

There were numerous stores all across the boardwalk. The arcade, the pizza place, the fry place... and so forth. The few people wandering around mostly ignored Peridot. Her eyes soon became sparkly diamonds as they took all this in. This was all so fantastic to her. Even the people, even though they mostly ignored her. They were just lively, not like Ocean Town's denizens at all. And it made it all the more enjoyable. She soon settled near the arcade, and scratched her head. What could she do now?

Well, she didn't have any money, so she could only look and watch. She was okay with this, not that she knew what money was anyway. So the alien entered and hung back and watched how the games operated, and noticed how all of them were manned and maintained by only one person. The alien found this very strange. Back home, there were at least a dozen working on one project. Maybe more. She hummed at this. Soon, she got bored simply watching all this, and decided to try one of these.. things.. herself. So she walked around, trying to search for a vacant chair.

There was one, a car racing game, similar to the one Pearl played. But this one was far better, with better graphics. A single shiny quarter sat near the wheel. It was like destiny itself was calling to Peridot. The green Gem's eyes sparkled like diamonds. She made her way over to it, and spotted the quarter. She hummed, picking it up with her floating fingers and examining it for a short while, before she turned her attention to the console itself. She eventually found a slot. "Insert Quarter Here", it said. So that's what this strange object was? well, why not? she shrugged, and then inserted the coin and taking a seat, pursing her lips This was all so strange...

Images of nine different cars showed up, different styles and colors, with different numbers too. It began to count down from ten, waiting for her to choose one. The alien bit her lip, and quickly chose the green car, getting the hang of the controls rapidly. She didn't know what that time meant, but didn't want to find out.

Then it showed her car and some of the others lined up on a line, spinning the view of it around. "Ready... set... go!" it announced, having counted down from three on the screen, and then allowed her car to move.

Peridot zoomed along the track, pressing onto the accelerator a little too hard. But it was worth it. She passed the other cars without a hitch. But not too far. She chuckled, "Clods..."

A sharp turn came up. A minimap was displayed in the corner, and in another corner, her place in the race. And Peridot almost skidded off the side of the turn, but kept on the path. She sighed of relief, still zooming forwards and not daring to look back. She was in first place. But there was a similar machine next to her game, showcasing the same race. A kid sat down there, put in a quarter, and joined her race, all the while saying nothing.

Peridot glanced over, frowning a little, and sped up. She supposed this was little competition, but worthy for her skills. It wouldn't hurt to play against him. He chose the red car, and somehow sped past her. He smiled, just a little, just barely. He was a short kid, a child much smaller than she, even without her limb enhancers. Peridot gasped, and glanced at him for a short time period. She growled, "No, not today! you're not winning against me!"

She punched the gas a lot more, hoping to speed past him. But while she may be outwardly angry, on the inside she was having the most fun she's ever had since she and the elder twins played Poker together.

He said nothing, smiling sinisterly. They were neck and neck now. He slammed into her car, once, twice, trying to knock her off the path. Peridot seconded these gestures, pressing up against him. She, on the other hand, was giving off the most vicious snarl, contrasting his sinister smile. He sped up, faster, pushing her ever so closer to the edge of the path. The alien sped up as well, before she actually pulled out, slowing down. She had a plan. A really good plan.

Unfortunately, he seemed to see through this, rapidly fixing himself before he vaulted off the path, and then sped past her. She thought she still had a chance, so she took advantage of this, holding down the gas and hoping to take the lead once more. But it didn't exactly work, as he was still way in the lead.

 _Oh, that was a_ ** _stupid_** _plan!_ she sighed, but eventually saw a shortcut. She smirked mischievously, and took it. It was going to cut off a good section of the path for her, but the road was much thinner here, barely enough for one car.  
She'd just have to manage this. So she laughed, speeding through it carefully. She'd beat him. She'd become champion!

People seemed to flock over to them, watching this race for some weird reason. Peridot ignored them, only focusing on this game. She'd get a happy surprise when she was done. The kid's car soon set itself on fire, it was going so fast. And maybe that wasn't a good thing. Peridot noticed this, and laughed. She eventually reached the end of the shortcut, and kept speeding along, ending up right in front of him. He tried to slam into her with his flaming vehicle. His expression never changed from that unsettling smile.

Peridot grew a bit nervous, but started zig-zagging. These targets were harder to hit.

The finish line was just up ahead now. The alien grinned, still gunning it. She was gonna make it. She was gonna win and be crowned champion! and she didn't even know what this game really was. He went a little faster, narrowing his eyes a little. She narrowed her eyes too. She was almost there.

And finally, she passed the finish line, seconds before he. A voice yelled, "WINNER!" and began to dispense for her. The other kid got some tickets too, for being in second. He seemed unfazed by it, collecting his tickets, still having that unsettling smile.

"Yeah!" she cheered, as did the crowd that gathered behind them. She collected the tickets, and turned to the kid, "Nice job! but it wasn't enough to beat me!"

He didn't even look at her, just ran away with his tickets.

"Uh, well, that's weird," Peridot sneered a little bit. She quickly forgot, however, and eyed the tickets, getting up. Chuckling, she thought about how she could break this to the twins. And then she finally noticed the crowd, her eyes widening.

"You were awesome! I didn't know beating him at that game was even possible..." said a darker-skinned woman.

Peridot blinked, and chuckled, "Oh, well, thank you."

This made her think, though. She eventually said, confused with a bit of a head tilt, "He's never lost..?"

"Well, not that I've seen," she shrugged. "I know I can't beat him."

"Well, then I guess I beat him for you," the alien grinned, handing over the tickets. She didn't really need them anyway.

"Wait, are you giving me these? don't you wanna go spend them on some prizes or something?" she pointed over to the counter where the strange boy from earlier was looking around at the things to buy.

Peridot blinked and looked over. She didn't think there was more to these tickets. She hummed, "Maybe I'll check them out..."

The girl smiled. "Alrighty then. I'll be over here playing Meat Beat Mania if you need me!" she then gestured to another game, which she proceeded to head towards. The Gem scratched her head, nodding. Nice girl. She wondered if everyone in this town was as nice. She started examining the tickets as she started over to the prize table.

Mr. Smiley was leaning on the table when he spotted Peridot, and smiled, "Hey, kid, you wanna get something with those tickets?"

She nodded, nearly scrutinizing him and holding out the tickets. She had little idea how this worked.

"So how many tickets do you have?" he glanced at the tickets she held out, the smile now impatient.

"I'm not sure?" she was a little confused. She looked at the tickets, and tried to quantify them. That smile stayed in her head. It was impatient, rushing. Not at all unlike how some of her superiors treated her. It kinda unnerved her.

He soon sighed, "Look, we have ticket-eating machines that will tell you how many you have. Try one of those." He pointed to one such machine.

Peridot looked over, and then nodded, "Okay. Thanks.."

But it wasn't really that genuine. She crossed the room to said machine, and started examining it. How does this work..?

There was a sign with an arrow pointing down from the words, to a little slot. The words said, "Insert Tickets Here". And so she did, extremely curious. The man said this thing eats tickets. It couldn't have been literal, right?

And it wasn't. It more sucked them up whole, quickly and not needing her assistance. Her total was a whopping one hundred tickets. The alien jumped a bit, but quickly composed herself. She read the total, and her eyes sparkled a little. She then walked back over to the man and announced, "One hundred tickets! I earned one hundred!"

She was a bit excited. If only this was how Homeworld ran. But she knew she didn't belong anyway.

"Alright. You can get anything here, and anything on the first shelf," he pointed, still smiling. The items all had their ticket price listed. The counter had little candies and erasers and bracelets, all for five or ten or fifteen tickets each. The shelves, however, had things like smaller stuffed animals, which were more expensive: fifty or one hundred or one hundred and fifty.

Peridot nodded, and then eyed the stuffed animals much more closely, but then shifted to look at the bracelets. Fifteen tickets. She could get three—one for her, one for Stan, and one for Ford—in exchange for fifty-five. She wanted to remember this experience in some way, and something told her stuffed animals wouldn't exactly last the same way bracelets would, and they'd get easily lost. And they looked beautiful too. She soon smiled, and pointed at the green, blue and red bracelets, "I'll have these please."

He picked them out, and handed them to her, "Is that it?"

"Yeah, that'll be all," she nodded, taking them. And then she thought of something else. That girl she was speaking too. She jerked a little, and her smile broadened, "Oh, wait! I'd also like a bag of.. candy? yeah, candy."

He grabbed some random candy and stuck it all in a baggie. Of course, he made sure there wasn't more than she could afford. Eleven pieces, total.

"Thanks again!" she took the candy, and examined it closely. She was curious to see how they tasted, but decided this was more important. She promptly walked away and started heading towards this.. Meat Beat Mania thingy. And then she tried putting on her green bracelet. It was almost impossible, but she managed.  
The dark-skinned girl was hard at work, sweating up a storm. So Peridot waited, tilting her head as she watched. Eventually, the game announced, "You're toast, player one!"

She grunted, and set the ham sticks down. Peridot frowned a little, and then tapped her on the shoulder with a floating finger. She gasped, surprised, turning on hr heel, and then she sighed and laughed when she saw Peridot. She smiled a little, "You know, I don't think I ever got your name."

"Oh!" the alien blinked, and then held out the baggie of candy, "my name's Peridot."

This time she had no inclination of spilling out her full designation. The girl nodded, and gasped a bit. "Is this for me?" she asked, her eyes widening, and her smile too.

"Of course," her smile widened as well. "I decided to get you some with the remaining tickets.

"Aww, thank you..." she took it gingerly.

"You're welcome, uh?" she paused for a moment, waiting for her name.

"Connie. My name's Connie," she frowned. "So are you related to Steven, or something?"

Peridot's eyebrow rose, and she tilted her head, "Steven?"

There went that name again. Did this girl know him too? wait, what kinda question was that? of course she did.

"Steven Quartz Universe. He's my best friend..." she chuckled, somewhat ignoring for now why she left his house. "He has three moms."

She blinked. _Three_ moms? from what Stanford told her, there was only _one_ and could _only_ be one. Except if the relationship was lesbian, then two. Whatever that meant. But _three_? she blinked again, "Uhh? _three_ moms?"

"I know right? wacky, huh? but they're not human, and they're not his real mom..." Connie sighed then, "he could probably explain better."

The green Gem blinked again, her lip twisting a little, "Uhh, okay then.. so.. why are you here? besides the obvious?"

She wanted to change the subject, for she was far too confused, and would rather this Steven to further explain.

"What do you mean?" asked the girl, unsure of what the green Gem meant.

"Why are you here?" she simply repeated the question. She didn't see how to explain it.

"To have fun, at this arcade... is that what you mean?" she arched an eyebrow.

Peridot facepalmed and shook her head, feeling a bit exasperated, "That's the _obvious_ though."

She shrugged, "I don't know what you mean then."

"Where did you come from?" she began pacing, in an attempt to calm herself down. "What happened? in those terms, why are you here?"

The Gem had no idea why she was so curious, however. Probably because this girl was so nice and so she wanted to gather as much information as possible about her.

"Oh, um, my mom and dad loved each other very much... and then I was born. It's... well, it's hard to explain..." Connie blushed furiously.

Peridot blushed too, halting her steps so she could fully stare at her, and then facepalmed even harder. She took a deep breath, and exhaled into few little rapid-fire no's, before, "Not what I meant, Connie. Not what I meant."

"Oh. I'm sorry..." she sighed, biting her lip. "Maybe Steven will have a better answer for you? c'mon, it's getting late." She was also anxious to make sure her friend was alright after what she thought had happened.

Peridot then nodded, "Well, alright then.."

She was becoming a bit anxious too, and thankfully it wasn't due to what Connie implied. Not that she got it, but mentally rehearing Ford's small, minor explanation kinda clued her in. But it was just as bad because it was why she was hiding out in the boat in the first place. She hoped they weren't here. She hoped they wouldn't bump into them. Because they would be _useless_ against the likes of them. The Gem started sweating despite herself. Connie then began out into the boardwalk, out of the arcade. And Peridot followed her, growing increasingly paranoid and apprehensive. Little did she know, it would all become proper...

* * *

 **A/N:** And there's Chapter Fifty-Six! a chapter focused almost solely on Peridot! if you hadn't gathered it already, the guest who played against Peridot was Onion, and Ace played him perfectly! she also had Yellowtail, the racing game, Connie, Mr. Smiley, and a few other things. :3 I was Peridot, and controlled a few things here and there. X3 There's also a few small references. Maybe you'll find them~  
I hope you enjoyed it!


	57. The Chase

**A/N:** Welcome back, everyone! I present to you Chapter Fifty-Seven! I would like to thank Galieo Figaro, dankmemez1738, Lothlen, and a few others for the follows and favorites! I had to go way back in my email for those names, and I'm going to be shouting people out from here on in! hehehe, now, enough of the chatter, let's cut to the chase!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Chase**

Jasper's mind was on recent events. Rose... here, on Earth, still alive... they'd have to find the Galaxy Warp, or something, to return to Homeworld. She began to put a report together, in her head, of Rose Quartz, of "William". She continued on, thinking, deep in thought. "Lazuli, do you have any idea where the Galaxy Warp may be?" she asked, carefully.

Lapis grimaced a little, but showed no further emotion with this. She sighed, looking around at the town dully, "All I know is that it's in the middle of the ocean. Probably farther north from here..."

She decided not to dwell on what happened in Steven's home. Especially with the knowledge that she'd failed hanging over her. She didn't even think about William. She put all her focus into her current task as best she could. But how long would that last?

"Well, you can fly, can't you?" Jasper frowned, putting her hands on her hips. It was obvious what she was implying.

Lapis frowned at her, crossing her arms, "Yes, I can. But it's far away, and I don't know if I can pull _you_ along for long."

"There's got to be... hmm. These humans must have a way to cross the water..."

The blue Gem looked around for a boat then, that they could possibly use. She walked along the boardwalk, ignoring the many people staring at her. But she soon saw something peculiar. Something green. Her eyes widened. Jasper also noticed, and gasped, "Is that what I think that is...?"

"I think so..." Lapis smiled at this. This Peridot looked a bit different from the ones she was used to, however. But it was no mistaking that it was her.

She grinned and whispered, "Let's go poof her and get off this stupid planet!" before yelling, "HEY, PERIDOT! WE'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU!" the burly Gem began towards her quickly, every step loud and thudding.

Peridot's hair went crazy as her eyes widened. She started looking around frantically, before she saw them. The big, hulking Quartz, and the lanky, but just as dangerous, hydro-Gem, who seemed unpleasantly surprised by the way her partner introduced herself but following her steps nonetheless. She whimpered, almost dropping the other two bracelets she was carrying. Connie looked at Peridot and asked, narrowing her eyes," Do you know them...?"

"Come back to Homeworld, Peridot, and nobody gets hurt," Jasper demanded.

The green Gem backed away, not bothering to answer her question for she was too scared. Her green eyes were mere pinpricks now. All of a sudden, all the fun she'd had trickled down the drain. Lapis took a step forward, eyeing both their soon-to-be-captive and the girl, who seemed very familiar. Was she Steven's friend? why was she even wondering about that? her only concern should be this Peridot. Nothing else. Except Steven. She sighed.

"I'm gonna count to three. Either you come over here, and we go home, with no problems, or I'm going to have to poof you," she slammed her fist into her palm. "One..."

Peridot shivered, but didn't move. She seemed frozen to the spot with fear. Lapis took another step closer. She wasn't sure what she'd do actually. Now that Connie was there. But why was she caring at all?

"Two..." Jasper was coming close, less than ten feet away. The alien glanced at Connie, and soon finally gathered her wits about her. She grabbed the girl's hand, who squeaked with surprise briefly, and started running away. Lapis gasped and started running after her, but the Peridot seemed _way_ too fast.

"Oh, no you don't!" the burly Gem yelled, turning into a super fast spinning ball and going after Peridot and Connie. The green Gem looked back at her, and flinched. But she took a quick right turn, squeezing in between two buildings somehow. Lapis stopped running, eyes narrowing. She thought about bringing the ocean into this, but decided it would be overkill. Besides, they only wanted Peridot. But maybe they should take the dark-skinned girl too. She then started running the other way, hoping to cut them off.

Connie frowned, and then asked, "I've never seen those Gems before... who are they?"

Jasper only became faster, until she ran into the wall. She growled, and started heading Lapis's way.

"The only thing you should know about them is that they're after me!" Peridot kept running, frazzled. But one thought did come to her, and she seemed a little confused, "Wait, you know what we are?"

She soon came out the other side, and turned left, making sure to keep a good zig-zagging motion going.

"Uh, yeah, Steven's a Gem, or, uh... his mom was a Gem and then it passed over to him? anyway, he told me all about you guys. Wait a minute... that blue one, she seemed familiar..." Connie tried to remember, but had to concentrate on running.

"Steven's a Gem too?" Peridot's eyes were wide. She kept running nonetheless. And Lapis was familiar to her? what in the stars else was she missing?

Lapis soon appeared behind them, running at a fast pace, "Get back here!"

"You honestly think I'm that stupid?!" the Gem shot back, to which the hydro-Gem growled.

Suddenly, Jasper leapt out of seemingly nowhere, tackling Connie to the ground. The girl's bag of candy dropped and spilled everywhere. Peridot stopped running, and gasped, turning to them, "Get away from her! isn't it _me_ you want?"

Lapis seemed to show disapproval with a look, but didn't do much else. She had stopped running too, choosing to watch this occur.

"Yeah, it _is_ you we want. So either I shatter her, or you come with us. What'll it be?" Jasper asked, with narrowed eyes. Connie struggled in vain. This wasn't the first time Jasper had pulled this trick, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

Peridot cowered. She'd put Connie in danger. She'd never forgive herself for this. She eventually stopped, standing straight and bravely, and inhaled, steeling herself. She then exhaled, "Fine... I'll go."

Lapis crossed her arms, looking a little confused. She couldn't understand this. But she wasn't planning on harming the girl at all. Still, this wasn't how Peridots were supposed to act. Could this be why Homeworld wanted her? or was it something more?

"Lapis, hold her still," Jasper commanded, letting go of Connie and summoning her helmet. She grinned, ready to poof the green Gem.

The brunette then started towards the Temple the moment she was free, running as fast as she could go and calling her friend's name. Peridot closed her eyes, tears starting to fall from them, as Lapis did what she was told. She didn't want to see. But at least Connie got away safely...

Jasper bashed into Peridot headfirst, into the chest. There was that mythical sound, and dust flew out. The limb enhancers and the bracelets fell too with clunks and clinks, and Jasper caught the triangular green gem in her outstretched hand. She smiled, "Looks like our work here is done, Lazuli."

Lapis nodded, but that was it. She was still mulling over a lot of things. But perhaps she'd find out soon enough...

* * *

 **A/N:** OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH! and there it is! poor Peridot. That must have been _incredibly_ painful. And all that candy. Well, I hope you enjoyed. Ace was Jasper and Connie, and I had Peridot and Lapis. :3


	58. A Recount of Reformation

**A/N:** I can explain a lot of things. I said I was going to have this early, like Monday. But, well... I was tired and all, so here it is on its regular programming!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Fifty-Eight: A Recount of Reformation**

Ford had settled into Steven's home, but not quite. He was pacing near the window, worrying about Peridot. He'd gotten sketches of the house, and was mostly silent. Bill Cipher was sitting on the couch, arms crossed. He had more or less seemed to have gotten over the depression his little brother's death had caused. But Steven knew the unspoken truth—it was simply deep inside him now, along with all the rest. Stan was sitting on the couch next to him, staring at Bill awkwardly.

"So... no hard feelings about me tricking you and punching you in the face, right?" he asked.

Steven frowned, all of a sudden, as he was sitting on his bed, his window cracked open, and inquired, getting up and walking down the stairs, "Did you guys hear that?"

The triangle felt his face for a moment, and eventually sighed, "No, Fez. No ill will at all. You had every right."

It may have been there in the beginning, but somewhere along the line he decided that it wasn't worth obsessing over. Besides, this was nice. He seemed to have Stan's trust completely despite everything. But he didn't know about Sixer.

The aforementioned stopped pacing eventually, having heard something from an _extreme_ distance, but disregarded it. The fact that Steven heard it too captured his attention, but he didn't say anything. He hummed, placing a hand on his chin and rubbing it silently. The boy eventually sighed, mentally waving the question away. Stan tapped his feet. He only forgave Bill because the triangle had saved his and his brother's life. Ford looked over at Steven, and cleared his throat. He suddenly wanted to know exactly how the boy reformed the fear-mongering and all-powerful demon. He began, "So.. Steven.. how did you do it?"

Bill looked at the man, raising an eyebrow. He would wonder why IQ didn't ask him directly, but his reputation stopped him. It was the very reason Ford wasn't asking him anything.

"Did what?" Steven asked, frowning, uncertain what he meant.

"Reform _Bill_ , of all creatures," the man dramatically gestured towards the demon now, and the triangle quietly scoffed at this, rolling his eye.

"Well..." the boy started softly, "I accepted him. When he did something bad, I gave him more chances. I tried my hardest to make him a better person. At some point... he started caring about me," and smiled. Stan didn't seem to react.

Ford backed down immediately, eyes widening. It was _that_ simple? he then facepalmed. He could barely believe this. But it seemed like the most likely explanation for all of this. He eventually managed, getting out his Journal, "Oh.. there wasn't anything more to this..?"

Bill closed his eye and sighed, prompting the old man to chance a quick glance at him.

Steven shook his head, "It started at the school. I got kidnapped by Gabriel, and..." he frowned then, "stuff happened. It hurts my head to think about it... uh, Bill, can you tell him what happened?"

"I doubt he'd listen to me, kid," the demon sourly recounted. Even though he saved him and his brother's life. Ford alternated his glances between the two.

Stan frowned, "I'd listen. I dunno if I'd believe it, but..." and shrugged.

"C'mon, Bill!" Steven smiled at the triangle.

Bill opened his eye and looked at Stan, a little shocked, and then at his friend. His _best_ friend. He hummed, and then nodded, "Eh, sure, why not?"

Ford took a seat, but it was on the other couch. He was prepared to write this down. Bill took a deep breath, unnecessary though it was, and began the story, "So.. Steven and I had gone to the school, and things began happening there. I was the cause of most of them, sadly."

Ford didn't interrupt, though he wanted to, but he focused on writing things down. Steven nodded, glad Bill was being honest. Stan didn't say anything either, though he was tempted to say, "Go on."

"And then my little adopted brother, _Gabriel_ , showed up," there was a look of disdain on his eye for a split second as he remembered what he did. "He used Steven as a puppet, and attacked me and verbally shoved what I'd done unto me. The kid overheard, and took back his body, but the Gem Monster had reformed..."

Ford wrote all this down, humming quietly. Gem Monsters, huh? could that have been what Lars was talking about? Steven nodded. He remembered that much. What Gabriel did to him... it was only that he couldn't remember too well that made Steven able to forgive him. The old man was casually keeping an eye on Steven, making sure this was the entire truth. The demon took note of this, but went on with his story, "It was about to kill Steven. I couldn't let that happen. But at the time I didn't know why. Then he asked me uncomfortable questions, and cried, and I.. I couldn't take his tears..."

He paused for a long time after that, seemingly lost in thought as he brought his stare down to his hands—the same position he'd taken when this happened. Ford frowned a little bit, and so did Stan.

"We went to look for Bill's friends, so we could unite against Gabriel and defeat him," the boy continued, sensing that it would be difficult for Bill to start again. Besides, he knew this part.

The demon smiled a little, relieved, and sniffled, placing his hands down, "Yeah.. and so far, it was going well. We sighted Kryptos, and Pyronica," there was a small sigh here, "and Xanthar were helping us look. And then things started going wrong... we came across a three-pronged fork in the road that I'm sure wasn't there naturally, and we—Pyronica, Steven and I—split up to go after Teeth."

Ford nodded, quick with his pen and shorthand. He also made little sketches of the details.

"I was tired by that point. Gabriel taking control of me was exhausting... so the very first room I found I walked in and fell asleep," the boy began sheepishly, and the demon furrowed his brow. "But then I got woken up... by this... creature... it was some kind of mishmash of parts. It looked really sad, and lost. And then... I poofed," he bit his lip, demonstrating with his hands.

Stan listened still, not interrupting at all.

"Wait, you _poofed_?" Ford, however, _did_ interrupt. He wanted to get this squared away. Just how human was this kid? Bill stared at the man, as if saying that his friend wasn't an experiment, but it was overall ignored.

"Yeah, I got poofed," the boy didn't really explain. He then sighed, "I think the creature took me to Gabriel, who began using my power. And that's when things begin to get hazy..."

Ford blinked, and then silenced himself. The story was far from over. Bill then nodded and resumed, "Gabriel told me via thought transmission that he had Steven, and was going to crush the gemstone because I wouldn't join him or whatever. I'm pretty sure I freaked 8-Ball out, but all that mattered to me was the kid's safety. I didn't know why then."

Steven nodded, and Stan leaned back into the couch just a little bit.

"And then we launched a full-scale mission to get him back," Bill clenched his hand tightly into a fist. His eye spelled determination. "We rounded everyone up, everyone we needed and could find, and warped to Gabriel's impromptu base at the Zodiac Temple, the same place the Crystal Gems are heading towards. I couldn't teleport at the time, so we needed Kryptos and Hectorgon."

Ford hummed and made some attentive noises, writing this down too. So his theory was correct. It came straight from the horse's mouth. He saw no reason Bill would lie about this part. But the fact that he and his friends went through all that trouble to rescue this kid instead of just pushing it aside and discussing plans for world domination was nothing short of remarkable.

"Gabriel attached my gem to himself," the boy began again, "and started absorbing and using my powers. I had some control, and in a sense, I could see through his eye. And..." he glanced at Bill, unsure how to continue.

Bill glanced at the boy, and decided to wrap it up, "Keyhole and Pyronica betrayed me, Gabriel and I fought, I won, got Steven back, the end."

Ford nodded, tapping his pen on his chin, "I see.. interesting."

He had many questions, but wanted to see what else Steven had to say.

The boy nodded, firing off quickly, "And then we had some other weird adventures after that but that's not important."

The demon nodded, "Definitely not important."

Ford tilted his head, "There's something else there..."

"Not really," the triangle put his hands behind his top point. "That's pretty much the catalyst to how he changed me. You didn't ask for much else, Sixer."

And then the old scientist and researcher had that look in his eyes. The look Bill knew all too well. That determined face. And by that he knew IQ wasn't going to back down.

"Yeah, but how did Gabriel come back?" Stanley piped up, brow furrowed. "That was him I shot, right?" the question was blunt.

Bill sighed, and nodded, "He managed to come back through Steven, and that led to a whole slew of problems I don't want to talk about."

Ford nodded. That knocked down one question. But he still had dozens more.

"And I'm not talking about it either!" Steven quickly announced, shuddering.

The man clicked his pen multiple times, and moved on, not wanting to anger either of them, "Okay. So.. I have a question.. when Jasper asked who you were, Bill, you said 'William Nolis'."

The golden dream demon grew a bit uncomfortable with this, starting to squirm a little. The man continued, "What was that about?"

The triangle didn't say anything for a while, eye apprehensively wide. He was caught up in the past again. For all his growth in getting past it, it wasn't enough. It would probably never be enough. Steven looked a little upset just then, and shook his head at Ford, "I think that's a little too personal."

"Bill had no qualms in poking around in _my_ head," Ford calmly shot back. It heavily implied that he had the right to do the same. Bill shook himself, slightly sinking into the couch. He may have been going into Couch Town. The man pressed him, "Well?"

But there was no response.

"That was before, Ford!" the boy exclaimed, and then sighed, looking down, "things are different now..."

"I think we have the right to know," Stan put in his two cents, crossing his arms. But suddenly...

"STEVEN!" Connie burst through the door, gasping for breath.

Bill snapped out of his funk, hellish pupil swiveling over in Connie's direction. Ford groaned, and growled out, "We'll discuss this later."

The demon frowned a bit, glancing at him and mumbling some choice words, particularly about him having saved Ford's life, and then floated up and over to the brunette, "Ah, Connie! long time no see! what's up?"

But overall he was grateful for the distraction, grateful that he was saved by the bell that came in the form of a girl.

Connie gasped, still trying to catch her breath, "So I met this green Gem named Peridot. She was really nice, and she gave me candy... anyway, Lapis and some other orange Gem appeared—they took her!"

Steven had a moment of concern. Stan gasped, almost immediately, glancing at Ford for his reaction. His brother's eyes were wide, and he started shaking, "Oh no.. this is exactly what she feared..." and then he more or less asked himself, "why did she leave the boat?"

Bill blinked, immediately tying this into the dream Steven had. But he couldn't exactly bring himself to care any more genuinely than he did for Steven. He then glanced at the boy, "Sounds like someone's in trouble... and Fez and IQ look pretty troubled about it."

Suddenly, the look of concern evaporated, and the boy crossed his arms, "I don't know this 'Peridot'. I don't see why she's important."

He didn't want to help Stan and Ford, of course, as he would hate to confront Jasper again.

"Steven..." the brunette tried, having fully caught her breath again. She glanced at the twins, frowning. She decided she'd ask about them later, but she had a good idea who they were.

Bill was rather shocked by this. It was rather conflicting. He didn't want to help them either, seeing as how Ford was so unforgiving and ungrateful after he saved his life. He could understand, but a simple "thank you" wouldn't _kill_ the man. But on the other hand, Connie was involved, and he found he also cared for her, just a little. He soon huffed, crossing his arms, "Sixer, to be very frank with you, I was about to bribe you into saying thank you. But seeing as how Connie's developed an attachment to the Gem, I'm gonna help anyway. For _her_."

He seemed to direct the final two words to Steven. Ford blinked, eyebrows furrowing out of confusion. The boy shook his head, holding firm. "I'm... I'm going to stay here. I need to rest... and I've dealt with enough today."

The boy stormed back upstairs. Connie sighed, watching him sadly. Bill watched him go too, and then looked down for a split second, before he sighed, "Alright, kid."

"We've got no time to waste. Those Gems... we have to stop them," she slammed her fist into her palm, smiling with determination. Stan and Bill glanced at her and nodded. Ford got up and nodded as well, pocketing his Journal.

The triangle rubbed at his eye, "We'll be back, Steven."

Hopefully.

The boy climbed back onto the bed, and nodded, "Okay."

And then they all left, with Ford positioned as far away from Bill as possible...

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's that! woo, I hope you enjoyed it. Ace had Stan, Steven and Connie, and I had Ford and Bill. :3  
There are some references here. I hope you'll be able to find them. But please leave a review. They always make my and Ace's day!


	59. So Close, Yet So Far

**A/N:** It's been a tiring week for me, as with all other weeks, but I hope you guys are doing excellently. I would like to extend a thank you to Jarjay100 for favoriting and following this story! and here we have another perspective with Chapter Fifty-Nine! I hope you enjoy it! oh, and prepare for some stuff. It's gonna get a little wild (get your minds out of the gutter tho).

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Fifty-Nine: So Close, Yet So Far**

Pearl was examining the doors, hoping maybe she'd find a room with more information on that portal in the basement. She wanted to know oh so badly. She was so close. So close she wasn't even going to listen to Garnet or Keyhole. She wanted answers, and she was going to find them. Garnet sighed, staring at the doors with scrutiny. She wanted to make sure she got this right. And so it was mostly silent between the two. Amethyst looked around, but not actively. She wasn't looking for an exit—she was waiting for one of the other Gems to find a way to continue. Keyhole simply watched them all for a while.

"This isn't working," Garnet spoke up. She had been trying her hardest to avoid a repeat of what happened downstairs, but it quickly seemed that there was nothing else she could do. That and her future vision seemed to be on the fritz. Which meant one of her components was still very uncomfortable.

"What isn't working?" Pearl asked somewhat bitterly, glancing over at the fusion. But she didn't receive an answer. Whether it was out of pride, out of ignorance, or just plain ignoring her, she didn't care. Not anymore.

Amethyst shuddered. "Maybe we should just leave. I don't think that we can even get the Cashid up there!" she grunted, putting her hands on her hips. "Besides, even if we could... why would we wanna save this old junk heap, anyway?"

Pearl immediately rounded on Amethyst, her patience starting to wear thin, "This 'old junk heap' holds lots of promise. It details all of the Zodiacs in the world, all the Zodiacs that have ever existed. It's an experience for all the Gems."

But even she was starting to get second thoughts. The key must have been removed for a good reason. A reason she was trying to find out. It even took precedence over getting the key to its place. But perhaps if she did, answers would greet her. She sighed.

"If there's a will, there's a way," Garnet started towards one of the doors. "We'll have to open every door."

"What's a Zodiac, anyway?" mumbled Amethyst, rolling her eyes.

Keyhole frowned. "But what if they're like the doors before?" he asked, making his presence known once more.

The tall Gem jumped, having becoming antsy as well. Garnet answered, "They aren't. I can tell."

Pearl briefly blushed out of embarrassment over her own building paranoia. She headed towards a door, "Well, let's do it then."

Amethyst just watched, not wanting to put in the effort. The fusion wrenched open her door, and looked inside. Nothing of importance here. So she closed it back and moved on. The fewer doors Pearl could check, the better. The pale Gem opened her door and walked in, looking around. There was nothing much here, except an old device similar to the one Keyhole melted. She smiled a bit at the fact that her kind kept backups, and picked it up, stashing it in her gem. And then she left, "Nothing's there either!"

Keyhole checked a room, and found some floating gems, in bubbles. Wait, that wasn't right... they were fragments... not whole gems. He didn't know whether this was important or not, so he called nervously, "Uh, guys... i-is this something I should be concerned about...?"

Amethyst walked over and peeked in. "Woah..." her eyes widened.

Garnet and Pearl made their way over, and peeked in too. Their reactions were nothing short of shocked, with Pearl's much more exaggerated. She started shaking, "Oh.. oh my stars.."

Amethyst stared. "Who... did this?" she asked, quietly.

"I.. I don't know..." the tall Gem stammered, "but maybe there's something here that could have a clue..."

Like the device she stashed in her gem, but she wouldn't say that. Garnet took a deep breath, "If you think that's best..."

And Pearl was properly shocked by this. She thought she'd have to go behind her back, and that was in fact true for a while. She bit her lip, "But..."

"You want answers?" the fusion interrupted. "I'll let you find them. But don't let them go to your head."

The Gem couldn't say a single word, just staring at her. She stepped in soon enough, looking around.

"Should we take these Gems back to the Temple...?" asked an uncertain Amethyst, glancing at Pearl.

Said Gem's breath hitched, and she soon nodded, "Steven's not going to be happy though.. but they don't deserve to stay here forgotten..."

Garnet nodded, still a little sullen. She stepped forward and began tapping as many bubbles as she could, sending them home. Pearl helped as best she could. Amethyst did the same, sadly staring at them. "I wonder what happened to them... do you guys know...?" she glanced at Pearl, then Garnet.

Keyhole had long since left the room, sensing it wasn't a good place for him to be. He continued checking rooms, until he finally found one, with a spiraling staircase, upwards. He smiled. _Finally._

Pearl didn't answer, for she already had. Garnet gave off a sigh, but that was it. There was no way she'd tell them. She'd freeze up, like she'd already begun to do. Amethyst sent off the last one with a troubled look.

"Hey, if you guys are done in there, I found a way up!" Keyhole called, ecstatic.

Garnet immediately exited the room, and smiled a tiny bit, "Nice work, Keyhole."

Pearl did too, after looking around the room one last time. But at least she had something she could fix up and look over. That was all she wanted. The two started heading towards the demon. Amethyst followed behind them, secretly envying the Gems they had sent off. The fusion walked up the stairs carefully, immediately followed by Pearl. Torchlights flickered on as they went, as a feeling swelled up in the tall Gem. They were almost done. They could finally go home soon.

Keyhole was at the head of the group, and Amethyst at the tail. Keyhole stepped aside and let the Gems go in front of him when he reached the room where the Cashid would be placed. Amethyst, however, slouched against a wall, watching sourly and saying nothing.

Garnet set a comforting hand on the purple Quartz' shoulder, as Pearl kept going towards the altar. It had a crevice in the center, where the Cashid was obviously going to go. She stared at it for a while, reached into her gem and pulled out the statuette. This was it. She could finally get some answers. But.. at what cost? she then uncertainly looked back at her friends, Keyhole included.

Amethyst leaned on Garnet, sneaking an arm around her and hugging her tightly. Keyhole looked disinterested. Thus, the tall Gem was starting to lose a little heart, but then she saw the fusion give her a slow thumbs up. She inhaled, and then took the angelic key in both hands, and inserted it into the slot in one fell swoop. Light started issuing forth immediately, coating the Illictic Cashid, and overflowed onto the floor. Pearl backed away from it, joining the three, as the green runes on the walls and ceiling began to glow.

Keyhole frowned, looking around. Amethyst gasped and whispered to Garnet in wonder, staring with teary eyes. The whole entire Temple then started rumbling, as it began fixing itself, even the stairs. It soon was free of moss, and the formerly dank walls were a decent white. Pearl's eyes widened, as she almost teared up as well. It was so beautiful. Garnet's mouth opened oh so slightly in awe. And then the ceiling seemed to open, revealing a pitch black coated in stars. Of constellations, so many different ones from around the cosmos.

Amethyst smiled, "It's beautiful..."

Keyhole simply nodded. It was a bit hard to get excited about stuff like this when you'd been around it your whole life.

"And those are what you call Zodiacs, Amethyst," Pearl pridefully informed her, knowing smirk on her face. Garnet allowed a smile to cross her face, and she patted the Gem's shoulder with her free hand, to which Pearl's smile simply got bigger.

"We did it," the fusion stated. "Let's go home."

She hoped, however, that nothing would happen now that the Temple was back to its former glory. This place had a reputation...

"Ugh, finally," Amethyst grunted.

"Home?" Keyhole repeated quizzically.

"Yes," Garnet started walking down the stairs again, "back at our own Temple."

Pearl stayed behind for a while, looking around for more information. Maybe this tablet wouldn't be enough. But then right above her, an eye seemed to open. The same eye in her dream. But she didn't notice it yet.

The little purple Gem climbed up onto Garnet's head, hugging her tightly. Keyhole glanced at the tall, pale Gem, "Y-you coming, P-Pearl?"

The Gem looked over at him, and soon nodded, "Yes, I'll be over there in a second."

The eye didn't do anything, however. It was just watching her. Ominously.

Keyhole glanced up at the eye, "P-Pearl...?"

"What is it?" she kept looking, frowning slightly. Nothing seemed to be here.

"Look above you..." he replied, feeling sick. But at least it wasn't staring at him.

Pearl did so, and gasped at the sight. It was the same eye in her dream. She froze in her place, too afraid to move now. What if it did something then? she trembled and said this one thing, "Keyhole..? get Garnet."

"Yes, ma'am," he saluted, and ran down the steps. He had become used to this type of behavior beneath Pyronica. He briefly wondered where the pink demon was now, before getting back to the task at hand. "Garnet!" he called, cupping his hands around his sound hole.

The fusion turned around. She'd reached the bottom of the stairs at this point, "Keyhole? ..where's Pearl?"

"There's a situation upstairs..." he informed her, uncertain.

"Sounds like trouble," Amethyst proclaimed, perched on Garnet's hair. Garnet nodded carefully. She was afraid this would happen. So she started heading upstairs again at a much faster pace. The tall, pale Gem remained perfectly still, not even breathing. Not that she needed to. It was much like a staring contest, except she was sure it'd turn more deadly if she lost. Keyhole was first up again, to analyze the situation.

"So, what is this? security measures to stop people from stealing the whatever that is?" he inquired, pointing to the whatever that is aforementioned.  
Garnet looked up at it too, and bit her lip. It brought up too many memories, but she worked past it. She soon answered, "Yes. It is. It had been installed by the Gems working here at the behest of.. someone.."

She then cleared her throat and started speaking in Gem, basically telling the eye that the Illictic Cashid was safe around them. It took a while, but it soon closed. Pearl sighed out of relief and stretched out, before she looked at the de facto leader, almost confused. Keyhole sighed, "Glad that's over with..."

"Me too," the tall Gem walked over, unimpeded, "but.. Garnet.. how did you know?"

"Let's just say my future vision told me," she offered, but that was a lie. Pearl raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it much. Amethyst frowned, but said nothing. Keyhole then began down the stairs, with a sigh, "Let's get out of here."

Pearl ran to him, "Fine by me!" and then skipped down the stairs. Garnet followed, sighing a little. She felt bad for lying. But what else could she do?

The purple Quartz was still on Garnet's hair, just chilling—sleeping actually. Keyhole led them back the way they came, hoping he wouldn't have to walk as long as before. But as soon as they got to the bottom of the interior stairs, something clicked within the fusion. She gasped quietly, "We should head outside..."

"Not through the shortcut?" Pearl frowned slightly. Garnet could in fact move those boulders that caved them in now. So what was the hold up?

Keyhole stopped, while they decided what to do. He could contribute nothing now, as he knew nothing about this place. The fusion shook her head carefully, "Come on!" and then started running, heading through the lit up foyer soon enough. Pearl followed her, almost hopelessly confused. Keyhole followed as well, and Amethyst managed to hang on, despite still being asleep.

Soon, sunlight greeted them, a sharp contrast from the cloudy skies when they found the shortcut. The area was bright green and clean now, much to Pearl's delight. Soon, the fusion reached the Warp Pad, and stared at it. She stated, "Someone's been here before..."

The tall Gem caught up, and gasped, obviously shocked. The platform was fixed. But how could that be?

Keyhole stared at it. "Wow, a slab of gem. How interesting." He obviously didn't get it.

"It's not a slab of gem, it's a Warp Pad," Pearl began, nose slightly in the air. "It takes us where we want to go with only a thought. We just have to stand on it and activate it."

"But this particular one was broken," the fusion supplemented, looking down slightly. "It's why we had to walk here. The one where the Illictic Cashid was held was cracked as well."

"Maybe it was fixed when the rest of the Temple was?" suggested Keyhole.  
"Sadly, Warp Pads don't work like that.." Pearl sighed, kneeling and placing a hand on the pad. "The Lunar Sea Spire was another place like this. However, we couldn't save it. But we were able to warp there just fine."

She felt funny, however. It felt like.. saliva? she shuddered, but didn't get the connection. Garnet nodded. Keyhole stepped onto the pad, "Well, let's get out of here, then. 'Home'."

"Home.." the tall Gem then smiled. "I'm coming, Steven! we're all coming!"  
Garnet stepped up first, and Pearl followed, after having gotten up. Amethyst woke up a little, "Heh?"

The tall Gem grinned widely, and activated the Warp Pad, sending them back home. After several weeks, they were finally going to see Steven again...

* * *

Steven was trying to sleep, but wasn't getting anything at all. He kept thinking about things instead...

Suddenly, there was a chime echoing throughout the house, and soon three familiar figures materialized on it, along with a not so familiar figure. Pearl immediately turned to face Steven, a big smile on her face as she announced his name. Garnet was smiling as well, stepping down from the Warp Pad. Steven groaned quietly. This was the last thing he needed...

He headed downstairs, "Hey, guys."

"How are you? I missed you so much," the tall Gem didn't seem to notice his behavior, walking up to him.

Garnet simply watched. She sensed something was off immediately, and it almost immediately wiped the smile off her face. But she seemed to ignore this, and said, "We _all_ did."

"I'm okay, I guess. A lot happened while you guys were gone," he shrugged.

"Like what?" Amethyst got down from the fusion, and sat on the couch.

"Yeah, what? you can tell us!" Pearl's eyes sparkled a little. The fusion simply stayed standing. She knew. She just hoped the others wouldn't jump to conclusions. That is, if Steven told.

"Well... it's really long... a lot of stuff..." he sighed again, looking down at the floor.

"Well, alright," Pearl hugged him rather tightly, "you don't have to tell if you don't want to."

The fusion then finally asked the question that the audience was probably hoping for, "Steven.. what's wrong?"

Steven took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, it just seems like I haven't got a break, and I can't sleep, and... I dunno."

"..What happened while we were gone..?" Pearl asked slowly and carefully, staring at the boy. Garnet was also staring, and glanced out the window too.

"I met a lot of strange... people, I guess," he shrugged slightly.

"You know you can tell us anything, right, Steven?" the tall Gem slowly continued coaxing him. Garnet was close to separating them, but decided to wait a while longer.

He nodded, "Okay... so I was bored for the first couple of weeks. Connie and I hung out a lot, but there wasn't much to it. One of the days, though, I found a statue on the beach... it swept up right next to me."

"A statue..?" Pearl let go and started to head over to the couch. Garnet followed, humming softly. Amethyst simply listened.

"It was a triangle. Now, it had a big crack running through it, so I healed it up with my healing spit, and then I took it home," he recalled that night with some warmth, joining the others on the couch.

Pearl hung onto the fact that the statue was a triangle with eyes wide, but nonetheless let him continue. Garnet sat in silence.

"And then he came to life..." Steven continued.

Pearl developed an increasingly shocked reaction, and she waved her hands, "Statues coming to life.. I see.. uhm, let's stop here. You're hungry, aren't you?"

She was trying very hard to reconcile this with what she'd seen, but she couldn't do it while listening. Garnet frowned, but let this happen.

Steven shrugged, "I guess..."

Pearl nodded, biting her lip, before she got up and walked to the kitchen and began preparing some food. Garnet shook her head, and placed a hand on Steven's shoulder, and its owner looked down at the floor. Soon, the tall Gem would have to find this out, the hard way...

* * *

 **A/N:** And there ya have it! I handled Pearl and Garnet, while Ace had Amethyst, Keyhole, and Steven. :3  
I snuck a few references in here, one of which is fairly obvious. I wonder if you can spot them. :3


	60. The Rescue Attempt

**A/N:** ODYSSEY, YA SEE? ODYSSEY, YA SEE?! WOOHOOO, IT'S ONE DAY BEFORE THE BIG DAY! or, rather, a few hours! aren't you all excited?! anyway, thank you, cefmlp, for favoriting and following this story! I really appreciate it! hehe, now, for what most of you have been waiting for.. CHAPTER SIXTY, THE RESCUE ATTEMPT! GO!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Sixty: The Rescue Attempt**

Ford was running as fast as he could across the vast sands of the beach, with Bill far ahead of him. He made sure of that, for he didn't want to get too close at all. The demon sighed. He could in fact teleport them all, but the old man didn't want him to touch him, so here they were. Stan was staying close to Ford, as close as he could. Connie was in between Bill and the twins, running, thinking about how much easier this would be riding on Lion.

"I never thought I'd ever team up with Bill of all people," the scientist whispered to his brother, still running. The triangle pretended he couldn't hear them, hand above his eye like a scouter. Stan didn't respond, too focused on running.

It took a while, and they were almost across the beach at this point. Bill grunted a little, "Can't you guys run any faster?"

Sixer shot him a quick glare, but couldn't gather enough breath to answer. He'd wasted it trying to stir up a conversation with Stan. Stan yelled, "That's easy for you to say!"

Connie kept going, starting to slow, as the old man did.

Bill groaned, hands on his "hips" now, "If you'd just let me teleport you into town..."

Ford groaned, losing his pace as well, "For the last time—!"

Suddenly, the object of Connie's thoughts ran in from the distance behind them, and the demon smiled a tiny bit.

"Lion!" she smiled, and then exclaimed, "oh, we can all ride Lion into town!" She liked the fact that she didn't have to run back. She then hopped on the pink fluffy creature, "Come on, guys!"

Stan stopped in his tracks, and looked at her like she had grown a second head. Bill followed her, not hesitating at all. He looked at the twins, grinning and silently egging them on. Ford bit his lip, raising an eyebrow. A pink lion? how? but he supposed things could only get weirder, and Bill having reformed was the weirdest of all so far. He got on too, "Beats running.."

Stan eventually shrugged and boarded him as well. Like Wendy, his brother thought it was going to be a ride back into town...

And it was, surprisingly. I mean, town wasn't that far away. Bill continued to scout, humming slightly. Ford blinked. He was honestly expecting something a lot more. Lion stopped when they reached the site of abduction, where everything was dropped. Ford gasped, eyes wide. There were her limb enhancers. And.. bracelets and candy? he got off Lion, and wandered over, picking them up. Bill took to the air, searching for Lapis and Jasper. The old man whispered, "This is really bad..."

"Yeah, they poofed her... I dunno where they could have gone... you guys know them, right?" asked Connie, hopeful.

Stan frowned. "Didn't the orange one say something like that?" he asked, glancing at his brother.

"No.." Ford sighed, answering both of them and standing up again. The demon kept searching for them. He soon caught sight of them near the docks, eye widening, and he immediately zoomed back to the group.

"I see them! they're planning to use one of those boats to leave this place!" he announced worried. But it was all for Connie. Ford merely cast him a glance, nodding.

Connie nodded too, and exclaimed, "Let's go!"

"Um, we need a boat, don't we?" asked the ex-Mystery Shack manager, putting his hands on his hips.

"Trust me, we won't need one," the demon grinned, floating onto the fluffy feline again. The lion was surprisingly serious about this. "Besides, they're just planning."

Ford frowned, looking at the bracelets. He took them, put on the blue one and stuffed the rest into his pocket. And then settled his gaze onto the limb enhancers. He couldn't carry them, so he just let them stay, and then jumped back onto Lion without questioning anything. As soon as they were all on Lion, he started running again, towards the Homeworld Gems. The triangle and old man held on tightly to his mane, eyes narrowed. They were going to get Peridot back. No matter what.

Jasper looked up, and saw the approaching lion and its occupants. Her eyes narrowed, and she growled, "No time for diplomacy, Lazuli!"

She picked up the fisherman, and threw him out of the boat and onto the dock, before she jumped into the vessel. The man couldn't keep his balance, and so he fell into the water instead. Luckily, Yellowtail could swim, and he immediately resurfaced, coughing up water.

"Hey, that's our ship!" Ford jumped off and started running after them. Lapis made a barrier of water from the ocean appear in front of him, and he skidded to a stop shortly before he ran into it. Bill hopped off too and flew towards them, generating a powerful electricity and shouting, "Let her go!"

"Get lost!" Jasper yelled, revving up the engines, having a rough idea on how to use this vehicle. "Lazuli, hold them off!" she ordered the water Gem, and then pulled off.

Lapis nodded, and stood her ground. She could easily fly to catch up. The demon flew right over her, heading towards Jasper, and Ford finally had the idea to go around the barrier and distract Lapis. Stan started shooting at the boat with his pistol, but it did little good. Lion ran after it and the increasing momentum allowed him to skip across the waters. Connie looked down at him, tilting her head, "Lion, do you know where they're going? and if you do, can you take us there?"

She was hoping maybe he knew.

The Quartz saw that the boat was beginning to go too fast, into the red category. But she didn't care—it wasn't her boat, and once she was at the Warp Pad, it wouldn't be her problem. Lion shook his head, but decided to follow the boat, still running at fast speeds across the water. Lapis glanced at the boat, and developed her wings and started flying after it. Ford growled, and jumped to grab her foot, and succeeded. The blue Gem gasped, but stayed in the air, carrying the old man across and trying to lose him. Bill soon caught up and bumrushed the ultimate Quartz, still charged up.

Jasper was ready. She dodged, and summoned her helmet, pounding down with it towards his eye. Connie glanced at Stan, and Ford, and everyone, surveying the situation. Stan took another shot, now that they were closer. The demon slightly dodged the helmet, but it hit his side instead, and the bullet just missed his top hat. Tears instinctively fell, but he wasn't going down yet. Even as he was gradually getting tired now. He sighed and eventually decided to take a risk at being found out, "Okay, you asked for it..."

He snapped his fingers, and something started going wrong with the boat, and it was starting to zig-zag in ways it shouldn't. The blue Gem struggled more to get Ford off her foot, even doing tricks, but the man wasn't exactly budging. Lion kept speeding along across the sea, eventually catching up to the boat. Jasper yelled, and tried to pound him down with her fists. She was engulfed in rage. Bill teleported a short distance away, and she just ended up losing her balance. He started panting a little, but refused to give in.

Jasper went back to controlling the boat, trying to make it go straight to the Galaxy Warp she could see sitting in the water in the distance. She stepped on the gas a little more. Stan tried to get a clear shot at the orange Gem again, aiming for her head. The boat still zig-zagged, and Bill twitched his eye. It stopped entirely. Ford was still, miraculously, hanging onto Lapis for dear life. She shouted, "Get off!"

"Give us back our boat and Peridot!" the old scientist shot back, refusing to let go.

Jasper raised an eyebrow, and then launched herself at Bill, just then, knowing he was behind this. Her eyes narrowed. "I know you... Bill Cipher! you... ARE GOING TO PAY!" she yelled, spinning like a disk towards him.

The demon gasped, but teleported again, behind her this time. So he was found out. Well, this time, he didn't care. Lapis heard the bellow, and her eyes widened. Bill Cipher? she heard that name before, didn't she?

Thanks to this, she was distracted enough for Ford to do _something_ and take her down, crashing luckily onto the boat. Surprisingly, it held the weight just fine. The old man immediately got up and headed straight for Jasper, only to be magically restrained by the triangle, who chastised, "That's basically suicide! let _me_ handle this!"

"I know what you did, you and Rose Quartz! what you did to my _planet_ , what you did to my _colony_... what you did to my _DIAMOND_!" she roared, before rearing into him.

The demon slightly rolled his eye, and teleported once more out of the way. But this was starting to drain him even more, and he could barely float anymore. He huffed, "Yeah, yeah, I know perfectly well what I did..." and his expression suddenly softened, "I suppose it wouldn't help at all to apologize, would it?"

Ford merely watched this occur, wide-eyed, and so did Lapis, who managed to recover.

"Wait... Diamond?" Connie asked, confused. She didn't understand. Stan was too shocked for words. They had history together?

Jasper snarled, "There isn't a thing you can do to save yourself, you dirty Diamond killer!" She then threw a punch at him.

The demon caught the punch, too close to move out of the way, but it was slightly painful. He never really was athletic, having preferred to be a magical nerd. He then tried twisting it around. Ford was just as shocked. Even with all the years Bill had been alive, he only really thought of himself and Dipper being on the demon's list. Lion was starting to sink, so he started running around the boat to regain momentum. Jasper used her free hand to aim for his eye. "Killing you would be a mercy. No, I want to watch you suffer in front of the very Diamonds you betrayed!" growled she.

"Wait, who are the Diamonds? they sound important..." the brunette glanced at Ford for answers. She began to regret not bringing her sword, or, most likely, forgetting where it is.

"I dunno, kiddo. But do you think we should do something?" Stan asked, uncertain about everything. He knew he had a gun, but he didn't know it would do him any good. And it probably wouldn't.

Bill's eye widened, and he began tearing up just a little bit. He couldn't let go, and he began whispering some things, most likely how sorry he was, even as the white-haired brute of a Gem began beating him down. Ford shot Connie a desperate look, practically asking how he could ever know. Furthermore, his mind seemed to be slowly changing about Bill. He had saved his life, and was right now risking his own to save their friend. That took more compassion and courage than he ever thought the demon had. And he didn't even say thank you. Lapis was stock still, staring at the scene. The old man eventually got up, narrowing his eyes and deciding to step in, "Leave Bill alone."

"What makes you think I'll listen to you, human?! Lazuli, dispose of him!" she barked, before returning to her regularly scheduled programming. Lapis nodded, and got up, but with a swift sweep of his legs, was brought down once again, due to shock. Ford snarled. It was about time he did something. He ran at Jasper, but slid around her and delivered a kick towards her back. He _was_ always good at fighting with his legs, after all. He just hoped it'd do something. Anything.

She grunted, winded for a second. And maybe, just maybe, that second was all Ford needed to put her out. The demon was in the same position Ford had been. He was about to pass out, and he saw stars. He was in no state able to help. The old man kicked at her again, ignoring how much it hurt. Lion let out a small roar, rocking the boat just a little bit and still running in circles. Jasper soon ignored this, and got up. It wasn't enough. She growled at Ford, before grabbing him and tossing him aside into the water, like a rag doll. She walked back up to the wheel, and found the engine was overheating, about to catch on fire. Through the windows, she could see the Galaxy Warp. She grinned. Almost there...

"Stanford!" his brother called out, before he leaped into the water after his brother. Connie didn't think that was the wisest thing, but she pulled on Lion's mane, urging him to rescue the twins. Bubbles started surrounding the area the old man was tossed into, and then Ford himself resurfaced after a while, coughing up water. Due to his legs hurting, it was hard for him to stay up. He yelled then, not for his boat, not for his brother, but, surprisingly, for Bill. Lion roared again and started heading their way, as of right now forsaking the mission of rescuing Peridot and Bill.

The triangle, in the meantime, tried his best to keep his eye open and stay awake, but it was becoming harder. He'd used too much energy in a single bound. But maybe he could spare one more. He charged himself up, intending to shock Jasper again, intending to maybe fix the boat as well.

"Come on, guys!" Connie went up to them, and outstretched her hand. Stan took it, and got onto Lion easily. He then held out his to his brother, with a sense of urgency. Ford soon took it without much hesitation, sparing a glance at their boat, and Stan pulled him up.

Jasper growled and slammed her fists on the console, no doubt knocking out a few wires. "Stupid primitive machine!" she shouted, before kicking it and knocking out _more_ , and sticking her head out. "Lazuli! I want you to pilot this wreck until we get to our destination!" she shouted, cupping her hands around her mouth so the blue Gem could hear her better.

Lapis nodded, getting back up and heading towards the pilot area. She grumbled just a little bit, as she then glanced over the primitive controls. Bill sighed, and then decided to fix the boat, stop it from overheating, sending forth one last pulse of energy. This was much more important. It was Stan's and Ford's temporary home, after all. And he wanted to do one last right by them. And then he passed out, darkness clouding his senses.

Lion ran towards the boat at incredible speeds, making up lost time and almost breaking the sound barrier. Connie and Stan held on tight. Ford yelped, holding on tight too. Jasper watched Lion approach, after glancing at Bill, whom she put into a little orange bubble and placed to the side for now. Lapis grabbed the steering wheel, and tried her best to control it, biting her lip.

Jasper licked her own, "Almost there..."

"Faster, Lion!" Connie ushered him on, before Lion then broke the sound barrier, roaring and creating a portal, and whooshing into it. Ford screamed despite himself, hair flying everywhere. His eyes were wide, and his knuckles were white. However, his brother seemed to handle this just fine. Lion then appeared just ahead of the shift, to its left. The hydro-Gem soon saw the Galaxy Warp, towering over them all, and her eyes widened. Unwanted memories flashed across her brain, and for a while she couldn't do anything.

Lion jumped aboard the ship as it began to pass and bowed down to let the three of them off. The old man's legs still hurt, so he couldn't really get off. And he was beyond shocked as well. Guess this was the thing he was expecting. Lapis glanced over at the little, triangular demon, snug in a bubble. Bill Cipher, huh? why did it sound so familiar..?

Stan held tight onto his brother, making sure he was okay. Connie reached inside Lion's mane, slowly, fumbling around, hoping maybe, just maybe, it'd be... here! she pulled out Rose Quartz's blade with a satisfying sound. She grinned. Jasper gasped, recognizing it, "Rose's sword..."

Lapis looked back at the action every now and then, but couldn't do much about it. She had to pilot this thing after all. Though she did react for a second to that sword. The old man gasped, falling into yet another emotion of shock. He pulled out his Journal and quickly sketched it, before he put it back. He repeated Jasper's quote in a murmur, before he asked, "Who's Rose..?"

"Rose was Steven's mom, but she gave her life so Steven could exist," Connie explained, quickly, before she rushed towards Jasper, wielding the aforementioned sword.

Jasper laughed. "Even with a weapon like that, you'll never be able to defeat me!" the orange Gem grinned, and her helmet appeared on her head.

Ford was then left flabbergasted, before he shook his head, snapping himself out of it, "Stanley, we have to help her!"

He didn't know whether he was grossly underestimating her or not, but it was better safe than sorry. The blue Gem continued piloting the ship. They couldn't be any more than a yard away now. So she was preparing to do one thing so they could reach it.

Connie went in for a strike. Jasper ducked under. She recognized this kind of style, almost immediately. This brunette had been taught by Pearl, who had been taught by Rose. The style varied a little, but very strongly it resembled the pink Gem's.

"Stanley?!" Ford shouted again. Lapis pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes. Almost there...

Bill groaned a little, but still didn't wake up. The green gem next to him, but not bubbled, shimmered just a little bit, but not enough to reform. Stanley snapped out of it, "Oh, right!" and lifted his gun again, fumbling to reload it quickly. He began to seriously doubt it would do anything to the orange brute.

Connie swung again, aiming for her chest. She was quick and agile, against Jasper's bulky and tough form. The orange Gem, however, caught the blade before it sliced through her. She chuckled, as Connie fruitlessly tugged, trying to free her only weapon. Ford gasped, and struggled against himself. He ignored the pain in his legs as he pounced for the sword, hoping to help. He grabbed the hilt and struggled to wrench it away. Connie pulled too, but Jasper let go, so the two of them fell back onto the ship's hardwood floor. The scientist grunted, and soon yelled out. The pain was really getting to him now.

A shot rang through the air. It hit Jasper's helmet. Stan cursed, before taking another shot, which missed Jasper entirely despite the rather short distance. Lapis almost got hit by the stray bullet instead, and she yelped as it whizzed past her. Luckily, it didn't hit any vital machinery. Ford found he could only watch at this point, too hurt to do anything now. While the orange Quartz was distracted with Stanley, Connie rushed forth with her blade again, yelling a war cry, which, in turn, tipped Jasper off.

Stan passed Ford his pistol, preparing to fight by cracking his neck, and knuckles. Unlike Ford, he was better at fisticuffs. Jasper growled, and caught the blade Connie wielded again. This time, however, she ripped it from her grasp. "You don't deserve this weapon. You're weak, just an embarrassment!" she kicked Connie in the stomach, sending her flying into the water.

The scientist gasped, and frowned. He tuned the pistol just a little bit, and shot it at Jasper's hand, the one holding the sword, hoping to shock her enough to drop it. Lion growled, and rushed back into the water to rescue Connie. Jasper tilted the blade so the bullet ricocheted back at him, grinning. It caught his shoulder, and he cried out in pain. He soon started muttering, holding the bleeding wound, "No.."

"Lazuli! we go now," she grabbed the gem, and the bubble as well, and placed the gem inside the bubble, for the sake of simplicity.

Lion soon had Connie on his back, and that's when Lapis nodded. She pushed Stan and Ford off the boat via the ocean, and then vaulted the boat up towards the Galaxy Warp via the same method. Jasper could taste the sweet sense of victory...

...until the boat crashed onto its side and she saw the Galaxy Warp. She gasped, "No... it's destroyed?!"

She got out and stared at all the little pads, smashed to pieces by the Gem defenders of this planet. She kicked one of them and bellowed, "CURSE THIS PLANET!"

Stan frowned, a little disappointed that he didn't get a chance to properly fight, and did a head count. His frown only deepened as he asked, "Wait... where's Bill?"

He hadn't seen Jasper bubble him. Connie was busy thinking about how Steven would react to her losing his mom's sword. It was not a pleasant thought.

Ford gasped, and sighed, "Jasper took him... along with Peridot..."

They'd failed. But maybe they had a chance to win. But he didn't know...

Lapis cast her gaze to the ground, grasping her arm. She didn't like this place. She sighed, "Maybe Peridot could repair it?"

Jasper growled, but fished her out of the bubble, which she then set inside the ship, and placed her on the ground, waiting for her to reform impatiently and tapping her foot. The green gem may as well be inanimate. The being inside it may still be deathly afraid. Lapis stared at it, frowning. Bill groaned again, twitching, but still didn't wake up. Jasper glared at the little gem intensely. She had little doubt the humans wouldn't be able to follow them up here.

Soon, the gem began to shimmer, and rise. A familiar figure, much shorter however, formed around it, along with familiar clothes. When she was done, she was wearing a rather loose version of Ford's clothes, only the turtleneck was green and the trench coat black. She seemed stuck in the same position they poofed her, kneeling, eyes shut tight and crying, "Get it over with! just get it over with! as long as you don't harm Connie!"

Lapis blinked once. Twice. Connie, huh? that was that familiar girl's name? but what interested her most was the green Gem's attire.

"Get up, you wretch of a Gem!" the Quartz pulled her up by her collar. "Your only chance at redemption is this, traitor, so listen up!" barked the orange Gem.  
Peridot gasped, opening her teary eyes, and looked straight at her. She didn't want to get shattered right now. So she figured she'd listen... maybe, hopefully, she'd get rescued.

"I want you to fix these Warp Pads. If you don't... I'll shatter you to a million pieces!" she shouted, smacking her fist into her palm and grinning.

The Gem gulped, and looked at the many Warp Pads that were broken. She bit her lip, and nodded, "Uhm, I can try..."

And she walked towards one, shakily pulling out a spare Robonoid. She was going to take as much time as she could... to allow for them, _anyone_ , to rescue her.

Jasper watched. "Chop chop, pipsqueak!" she shouted, crossing her arms. "We don't have all day!"

"This is delicate work!" Peridot shot back, biting her lip.

Jasper crossed her legs then and leaned against the boat, "Get. It. Done."

"Okay, okay!" she sighed, and set the Robonoid down, giving it orders to fix every Warp Pad here, and she whispered to have it take as long as possible. And it set about doing just that.

* * *

Connie glanced at the twins after a while of silence. "Should we get Steven?" she asked, pursing her lips. She wondered if things would have gone differently, had he been here to face Jasper.

Ford nodded, managing to stay surfaced despite his legs and shoulder hurting like hell, "Yes.. we should.. they've got his.. best friend, after all.."

Lion grabbed the men by their collars and set them on his back. And then they rushed away, back towards shore, and back towards the Beach House...

* * *

 **A/N:** What a rather depressing ending to this chapter, eh? but, fear not, this is not the end! Ace had Stan, Connie and Jasper. I had Bill, Yellowtail, Ford, Lapis, and Peridot, and we shared Lion. I drew what Peridot looks like now. I'll post it in a bit. :3 Ace also snuck in a few references in there. I hope you find it. :D I hope you enjoyed! and leave a review!

Also...

 _ **LET'S DO THE ODYSSEYYYYYY! (no spoilers please.)**_


	61. The Warning

**A/N:** Hehe. Lemme just say that this was the chapter that had to be retyped when I finally got a new laptop, ending the hiatus on Google Plus. Of course, people there seem to have lost interest. Or whatever. But at least I've got you guys!  
Anyway, I'll let the chapter do the talking now! enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Sixty-One: The Warning**

Back at the Beach House, Steven sat in his bed. He was in a conflicted mood. He knew he should have been thrilled the Gems were back, but he wasn't. It wasn't that he didn't miss them - it was something else entirely, something he couldn't put his finger on. Garnet, sitting on the couch now, had noticed, but she wasn't going to press. She'd give the boy some time. Food had long since been made and eaten, and Pearl had joined Amethyst in showing Keyhole around.

The boy then began thinking about the twins and Connie and Bill, wondering whether they were okay. He felt bad for not going along with them, but he was convinced he needed a break. The fusion soon got up, walking towards the loft, "Steven. Something's bothering you..."

He sighed. "While you guys were gone... a lot happened. I can't even wrap my head around it all." He shook his head, holding it. "I met new friends... and new enemies... and I just don't know what to think about it all." He was shaking, he found. He didn't know. He had barely gotten any restful sleep.

Garnet nodded, "Understood.." She didn't press him anymore, and climbed the stairs, sitting next to his bed. "I'm sorry we weren't here for you."

"It's okay," he sighed. "I just... want to rest."

"What's stopping you?" the fusion frowned softly. She felt like she had an idea, however. He shrugged, uncertain. Garnet then sighed, "Get yourself some warm milk. That might help."

It was probably stress. Usually, that caused adverse effects, especially on sleep. Steven nodded, and went down to the fridge. He poured himself a short glass, and stuck it in the microwave. "So, uh... how was the mission?" he asked, trying to change the subject.

"It was pretty good," the fusion nodded and smiled just a little, getting up and joining him downstairs, sitting on the couch yet again. "We met someone new and managed to restore the Zodiac Temple."

She left out a lot of things, however. It was similar to how Steven left a lot of things out of _his_ story. She didn't think he was ready. Wait, that wasn't it. She didn't know how he might take it. There were many different possibilities, and there was a solid line between a good and a bad one. And she was afraid it would ruin things with him and Bill.

"That's great," he smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He felt bad his time here hadn't gone quite as well. There were good times, and bad times, and unfortunately the bad times seemed worse right now.

"It wasn't _completely_ smooth-sailing," Garnet informed him, having seemed to read what he was thinking.

"Oh?" Steven asked, glancing at her. The microwave beeped a couple of times, and he removed the milk carefully, and headed over to the couch to sit with her.

"We ran into some trouble.. but we're fine now," she smiled again, reassuring him.

"Oh, okay..." he frowned a bit.

She sighed, and nodded, and passed off this little warning, "But I'd keep an eye on Pearl, if I were you... she could get a little riled up when she sees your new friend."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why?" he cautiously took a sip, before blowing on the hot milk. Garnet hesitated just a little bit, but before she could answer, the door slammed open, revealing Lion. Upon his back were Stan, Connie, and Ford, all soaking wet and the lattermost with blood staining his shoulder pad and looking no worse for wear. But Bill was missing.

Steven stood up. "Guys! you're back!" he smiled, before frowning as he took a closer look. "Wait... where's Bill?"

Connie bit her lip, trying to word this, but all she could say was, "Steven..." for she was uncertain.

Stan, however, had no problems with words. "Jasper took Bill and your mom's sword," he explained, simply, getting off Lion. "They were heading to this giant thing in the water..." he tried to recall the name they called it, if they had.

Ford nodded in response, pale in the face and holding the wound. He'd tried to treat it himself, but it just caused more pain. Garnet glanced their way, grimacing almost, and the old man looked at her too. Was she a Gem? should he be wary? and why was she with Steven? Lion stepped in closer after having closed the door, looking a little forlorn himself, which was saying something since the expression he always wore was indifference. The fusion whispered, "The Galaxy Warp..."

Steven took all this in, and looked over to the Warp Pad. "We can get there quick, can't we?" he pointed to it.

"Jasper's really strong. The four of us couldn't beat her, Steven!" Connie stressed, staring at him as she got off Lion too. It was obvious - she thought he didn't stand a chance against Jasper. And she was right, he didn't.

"I'll come with you," the fusion stood up. She didn't even think to get Pearl or Amethyst or Keyhole. She felt like she could take Jasper on her own. That and she didn't feel like opening a can of worms this soon with Pearl meeting Bill, knowing it would throw a wrench into her team spirit.

Ford coughed, catching sight of the fact that she had not one, but _two_ gems. What was this? he thought they all hated humans. Why? what was going on? he wanted to ask, but didn't currently have the energy.

Connie smiled. "Maybe Stevonnie should face Jasper too?" she asked, grinning now at Steven and extending her hand.

Steven grew wary and uncertain then, and looked at her sadly before he shook his head, "I'm sorry... I don't think I can handle that right now."

"They've got your _best friend_ , Steven," the old man finally had the strength to say something. There was a pleading look in his eyes, aside from the obvious pain. If these "Diamonds" got a hold of Bill...

Garnet nodded, looking down at the boy and waiting for his decision. Lion stared at him too. He eventually sighed, "I'll come with, but I won't fuse."

The brunette then looked disappointed. She sighed too, putting down her hand and walking to the Warp Pad without a word. Garnet made sure to hide how forlorn she felt. She wondered how Bill would feel about this. But she pushed that aside and glanced at Lion, "Take Ford to Pearl. She'll know what to do."

Lion nodded and ran off deeper into the Temple, being careful not to drop the man. Ford shouted his good luck before he disappeared behind the strange door. The fusion then headed back to the Warp Pad and stood on it, crossing her arms. Steven, after finishing off the milk, somberly made his way over, but Stan felt anxious about leaving his brother here alone, and was hesitant to step onto the Pad.

Garnet picked up on this. "You can stay with your brother," she smiled at him. "I see that you'd like that better."

Stan, though flabbergasted, nodded with no hesitation, following Lion and Ford through the Temple Gate. The fusion then looked over at Steven and Connie, silently asking them if they were ready. Connie smiled, "Let's do this."

Steven shrugged, looking down. He was still depressed, even with the warm milk; it had felt cold. The fusion nodded, sighing silently. She wondered what had happened that Steven wasn't as raring to get his best friend back like she was previously expecting. But she wasn't about to sit and ponder. They had a demon to rescue. And so she activated the Warp Pad, and off they went, disintegrating into the stream.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there we go! interesting, isn't it? Ace had Steven, Connie and Stan, and I had Ford, Lion and Garnet. I hope you all enjoyed, and please leave a preferably lengthy review telling what you think. :3


	62. Treatment

**A/N:** Heya, everyone! it's finally Thursday again! and that means another update from yours truly! I'll say one thing right now - I'm not sure when this will be finished. There's gonna be a hiatus after the next few chapters. I'm all raring to go forth, but I gotta make sure my roleplay partner, Anonymistress (Ace), is okay. Anywho, I got a guest reviewer~

/Guest (EMObillcipher89): Oh, Bill sure does need him! glad you're praying for him. And thank you so much! both Ace and I enjoy all your kind words. :3

And with that said, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Sixty-Two: Treatment**

Somewhere in the Temple, Pearl had separated herself from Keyhole and Amethyst secretly, and was currently tucked into a corner, messing with the device she'd "borrowed" from the Zodiac Temple. Meanwhile, with the "ambulance" lion, the door led them straight into Rose's room, and Stan took a look around, "Huh. What a strange place..."

And then the door to the outside disappeared, but no one noted that. Ford was almost close to passing out, but kept himself awake. He adjusted his glasses weakly, beholding the lovely pink clouds. Lion then roared, and the room started changing according to his demand - to take them to Pearl. Stan tapped the ground a couple of times with his shoe, trying to make sense of this, but then he shrugged. He didn't understand anything anymore.

For some reason, it took them into the purple Quartz's room, and it wasn't what either of them expected. Towers of garbage and junk made their home here, and they didn't seem to end. There were even some littered across the ground. Ford gasped, and struggled to get up, but the pain was too much. He wanted to sit and clean up everything here. But that wasn't the time right now. Lion ignored all this, and simply walked through, using his nose to try and sniff out the tall Gem amongst all the junk. Pearl was somewhere nearby...

Stan followed, silent, wondering where they were going and why. Pearl heard the footsteps, and thought it was Keyhole and Amethyst coming back to get her, and promptly put away the device, sweating nervously. To her surprise, a black nose and pink snout poked in instead. She stared for a while, "L..Lion?"

And then he walked all the way in, revealing the human on his back. Her eyes widened, and she pursed her lips. What was this? why were they here?

Ford glanced up at her, vision slightly blurry, but managed to make out the pearl on her forehead. So that's why she was called Pearl. But he was antsy about her, recalling what Peridot had said about her species. That they hated humans. That tall.. "fusion", as he deemed her, back there seemed different, but he didn't know about this one, despite what Garnet had ordered to Lion.

"Hey there!" Stan waved nervously at her, having come into her line of sight. He obviously wasn't as wary.

She blinked at him, and waved back, almost coolly, "Hello."

Ford could tell she wasn't comfortable. But when she got up and stepped up to them, with such confidence and maybe even a little condescension, he immediately changed his mind. He didn't know whether she was going to finish Jasper's job, or what, but he was less prepared than ever either way.

"State your business here..." she commanded firmly, trying to understand why they were in these rooms when no other human but Steven had ever been. She slightly hoped she wasn't coming off as a jerk. But the way Ford was looking at her was lost on her.

"Uh... the tall lady sent us here," his brother blurted out.

"Tall lady?" this only took a moment to dawn on her and she soon realized, blue eyes wide. "Garnet. Oh, my apologies!"

Ford frowned just a little at this change in her attitude. It seemed a little too quick. And it was. Pearl was still very uncomfortable, but she trusted Garnet's judgement. He coughed, bringing attention to him, and Lion whined slightly.

"What are you saying..?" the tall pale Gem frowned a little as well, looking at the pink fluffy creature, before she cast her gaze on Ford again. She spotted the blood and gasped, "You're hurt. Follow me."

And she started walking away, ignoring her disgust for having to walk amongst this filth. She was rather surprised she hadn't lost it in all this time. Stan followed, silently, observing the piles of rubble, occasionally taking an item or two of value. He doubted anyone would notice.

Pearl looked back at them every now and then. She saw, but didn't say a thing. She had wanted these piles gone for the longest anyway, and even a few items gone would really help. Lion followed, periodically jumping to keep Ford awake. He knew that much, when a human was that injured, with a bullet especially, that they absolutely should _not_ fall asleep. The scientist knew this too, but couldn't really help it, unfortunately, so he appreciated the help.

The tall Gem eventually reached a certain pile and started rummaging through it, mumbling occasionally how disgusted she still was. She wanted something clean, but this'd have to make due, for she had no idea how long that man was suffering like that and it wouldn't do any good to make him wait any longer. For some reason, something told her he was extremely important, and she listened to that.

His brother, in the meantime, found things that were gold and silver. He found nice things, and things like three square inches of compressed glitter. He admired this place, and knew no matter how many times he came here, he was not likely to get every item of value. Pearl eventually found a rag, and a makeshift bandage roll. She found some wound dressing too, which was surprisingly recent. She then instructed the man to take off the coat, and hopped off towards a small pond, most likely to clean off the rag.

Ford was a little hesitant, but started. He yelped, for he was still in serious pain. Why did he have to wear a turtleneck too? and then he remembered and blushed. Right.

"So, uh, can I help?" Stanley asked, hesitantly, unsure. He didn't want to make the wound worse.

"Um, sure," the old man almost gave up, however. He wondered what their reactions would be. Lion lay down, Ford still atop his back, and yawned. Stan carefully took off Ford's coat then, biting his lip. And luckily, there was a tearing hole in the turtleneck, and it had gotten big enough for the wound to be treated, so it seemed as if that didn't need to be taken off. Ford sighed of relief, "Thanks.."

"I got you, bro," smiled Stan, patting his shoulder. He winced, but smiled back anyway.

Pearl soon came back, with a relatively clean rag and the proper materials, as well as some tweezers. She knelt, setting them in her lap, "Hold still. This is going to hurt a lot."

The old man paled. At least she was brutally honest. She gently grabbed the afflicted shoulder and used the sterilized tweezers to carefully find the bullet and pull it out. Ford kept from screaming and crying, biting his lip, and the Gem realized she forgot something and stuffed a hopefully clean item in his mouth, muffling the screams. Stan watched, wincing and flinching. He surely felt his brother's pain.

She soon found the bullet and carefully pulled it out. It didn't look pretty at all, and she pulled a face at it before setting it aside. Ford was biting down on that something so hard his cheekbones turned white, he swore. Pearl then began treating it, trying her best not to express her disgust. Stan kept staring, watching, as that was all he could do, at this point.

"You know.. you're quite the trooper.." she attempted at some small talk. "Most humans don't last this long."

Ford wasn't comfortable with this fact. He spat the thing out of his mouth, and spoke, "We're stronger than you think, ma'am."

Pearl hummed, pursing her lips. It was as if she didn't believe him. She was finished treating it and then wrapped it using the bandage she found. Stan smiled and sighed with relief.

"You'll have to rest before you do anything strenuous," the tall Gem informed him. She glanced at the other man, and just now noticed they looked alike, with a few key differences. Her eyes widened, but she was given no opportunity to ask, for..

"So.. you don't hate humans..?" Ford asked, still apparently worried about that.  
And Pearl stared. And burst out laughing, much to his confusion. She stuttered between laughs, "H..hate humans? that's quite a stretch!"

She continued laughing, barely able to keep her posture even as she was on her knees. Stan raised an eyebrow, and leaned back. He then noticed something shiny, and proceeded to shove that into a pocket.

"B..but you're a Gem," he pointed out, almost helplessly. Pearl immediately stopped her laughter cold, realizing he was completely serious. She shook slightly, "Y..you know what I am?"

"Wasn't hard to figure out," he frowned slightly, leaving out the fact that Peridot was the one who told them about the Gems. She sighed, looking apologetic. But like him having a hard time saying thank you, and like Stan haing a hard time saying please, she seemed to have a hard time saying sorry.

Stan nodded. "What's your name, anyway?" he asked her.

"It's Pearl," she said, lip twitching. Ford nodded as well, almost smiling due to his earlier observation being correct. "And yours?"

She still thought it extremely strange that they looked similar. Were they clones?

"My name's Stanford, but everyone calls me Ford," he allowed himself to smile all the way. The Gem barely smiled back out of awkwardness. Lion yawned once more, and would have rolled over if the man still wasn't resting on his back.

"I'm Stan Pines," he smiled just as awkwardly.

"Stan and Ford.." she repeated, glancing at both of them. She then nodded, "Well, nice to finally get your names." She then clasped her hands, "What were you saying about Gems?"

"They hate humans," Ford kept it simple.

"Well, _we_ don't," Pearl reassured him. He sighed of relief. "You honestly think we'd stay here and protect this planet if we _weren't_ fond of you?"

Ford nodded, "Good point."

From what though? that was a question swimming around in his mind now. Other Gems? Pearl soon sighed and looked at Stan, a question in her eyes.

Stan frowned. "What is it?" he asked, before looking down at himself in case a pocket was out or his fly was down.

"You look alike," she stated, blinking. Ford couldn't answer that, because he was drifting off. But it was safe now.

"We're twins," he explained, and when he saw that she was still confused, he further explained. "Our mom made us at the same time. so we're fraternal twins." He put an arm around his brother, smiling.

"I see," Pearl nodded, smiling. Ford barely smirked as well. "Well, I've never seen you around before. Why are you here, exactly?" Again, the scientist didn't answer, and he was half-asleep this time.

"We _were_ here to kill a demon, but then we found out that demon was reformed, so now we're just trying to get our friend back so we can go home." He looked over at Ford, and decided he might hit the hay sometime soon too.

"Antarctica," Ford sleepily mumbled.

"Mhm.." she frowned then. She wouldn't have believed that a reformed demon was even possible before Keyhole. "Where did you come from? you probably have come a long way."

"We came from Gravity Falls!" Stan announced proudly, hands on his hips.  
"Gravity Falls.. I've never heard of it.." her brow furrowed. So why did it seem so familiar?

Like Lion, Ford had drifted off to sleep, comfortably. The creature was soft enough to allow that luxury.

"So, uh... what now?" he spoke quietly.

"Well, since Lion's asleep, you'll have to stay here. If Amethyst and Keyhole come back, we can head to the kitchen," she planned it out already.

He nodded. "Sounds good..." he yawned loudly, getting on Lion, to rest like his brother. She smiled a little. These two weren't so bad at all. But they were only two full humans. Out of millions. She pursed her lips, and stood up, brushing off her knees. She couldn't believe she'd stood this for so long. Disgusting.

* * *

 **A/N:** And there you have it! a new perspective! well, not really "new". I was Pearl and Ford, and Ace had Stan! I hope you enjoyed, and we snuck some references in here. Hope ya find them!


	63. Stronger Than You

**A/N:** THE TIME HAS COME ONCE AGAIN! HAHAHA! no time or anything more to say, so enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Sixty-Three: Stronger Than You**

Peridot's Robonoid was still busy fixing all the Warp Pads, but going as slow as possible, as per orders. The green Gem watched anxiously, hoping for something to happen. Lapis had her arms crossed, also watching. Jasper kicked Peridot, "Speed it up, runt! we don't have all day."

"Ow!" she huffed, but didn't make her robot go any faster. She simply insisted, "This. Takes. Time. Are _you_ a technician?"

Lapis huffed, blowing the hair out of her face.

"I don't care. I want this done NOW!" Jasper stomped her foot, shaking the entire structure.

The blue Gem sighed. Peridot wasn't scared at all. In fact, she rolled her eyes, and huffed, "Fine. If we come out of the other end wrong, don't come crying to me."

She was about to order the little circular robot to work faster, when that familiar chime of a Warp Pad echoed throughout the area. And there they stood, Garnet, Steven and Connie, about to face off against Jasper and Lapis. Jasper whipped her head towards them, and growled, "Ugh.. them again. Peridot, keep working on the warp. We'll handle this."

She cracked her knuckles, raising Rose's sword. It was a beautiful weapon - and Jasper appreciated it. It was so easy to rip from the child's hands. Peridot soon saw them, having whipped her head around. She almost gave herself whiplash, but she didn't care, yelling out with a smile, "Connie! you're here! I'm so glad!"

She wondered where Stan and Ford were though. It confused her that they weren't here as well. And she also wondered who these other two were. But it was clear to her that one was a fusion. Lapis stood back, not wanting to get in the fight. Steven was there, after all. She didn't want him to get hurt. But she didn't want to betray Jasper either. So she decided on inactivity. Garnet spared Peridot a glance, and stepped down from the Warp Pad, frowning, "This ends now."

She knew the green Gem was a friend. Somehow. But she was grateful. It just meant one more ally.

"Lazuli, you take these pathetic humans! I'll defeat the filthy war machine!" Jasper ordered once more, summoning her helmet as she ran towards Garnet with the sword.

Garnet summoned her gauntlets and charged forth, prepared to pull a fakeout. Connie frowned. She had little idea what to do without the sword. She needed to get it back somehow. Peridot looked around, and soon saw the boat, the Stan O' War II, lying on its side. She was surprised it wasn't damaged by the landing, but considered this a serendipity. She was beginning to formulate a plan to help the humans and the fusion, and so she silently called the Robonoid back to her. It obediently complied, and she picked it up, pet it and put it away, and slowly started sneaking over to the boat.

Lapis glanced at the kids, whom she wasn't stoked to fight, especially not Steven. She furrowed her brow, glancing around and saw Peridot trying to sneak away. In an attempt to distract Jasper from Garnet, she called out, "Hey, look, Peridot's trying to escape!"

"Huh?" Jasper turned her head to look, stopping midrush.

Peridot stopped in her tracks, trying to hide her anxiety, "No, I'm not." And then she dramatically pointed at Lapis, frowning, "You're hallucinating!"

Garnet didn't stop the charge, and slammed her fist right into Jasper's stomach with a loud grunt. Connie cheered from within the bubble. Steven smiled a little and nodded. Jasper grunted, doubling over slightly. She was caught off guard. She growled.

"Lazuli, restrain her!" she then demanded, before swinging her stolen sword at Garnet, not allowing for any more distractions. Garnet dodged, and jumpkicked the Ultimate Quartz's direction.

Lapis sighed and flew to Peridot, whispering anxiously, "At least pretend you're working."

Peridot looked up at Lapis, a little surprised. She then nodded, and returned to her post. How could she pretend though?

Connie caught onto what Peridot was doing and looked at Steven, "We have to get to that boat..."

The boy nodded, and began moving the ball towards it. Lapis knew she didn't have to do anything but stay out of Jasper's line of sight. The Quartz was too focused on the fusion to check on her underlings. Peridot noticed the kids trying to get to the boat, and smirked. But they needed her. She wasn't sure if they could get it working again. She sighed, speaking in a relative whisper, "Lapis? can you cover for me?"

Garnet had her at almost every move, and deactivated one of her guantlets, using that free hand to try and wrench Rose's sword from Jasper.

"For what?" asked the hydro-Gem in the same hiss.

Jasper wasn't the most skilled with the blade, but that hardly mattered when the blade could destroy a Gem's physical form. She was a worthy adversary nonetheless, and when Garnet tried to take this prized possession, she just about sliced through the fusion's arm. The fusion pulled back just in time, backflipping. Maybe she needed some extra help...

"So I can get to that boat.. the humans will need my help," she kept up the whisper, frowning slightly. Her trench coat was billowing in the wind, with determination. Connie continued helping Steven roll the bubble towards the ship. It wasn't much farther now.

"Alright. I think you can go without Jasper noticing. Good luck!" whispered the blue Gem with hope. Peridot smiled at this.

Jasper lost her grip on the sword at some point while she was swinging it wildly, and it fell to the ground with a clang. Peridot whipped her head around to the sword, smile fading. It had landed near her. Garnet grinned, and charged again with newfound confidence, punching the Quartz in the face. The little visor beneath her helmet shattered, and she groaned as she recovered. The green Gem picked the sword up, almost surprised at how heavy it was. But she handled it okay. She started heading over to the boat with it, still agile. The kids were almost there.

Jasper growled, and pulled out a little yellow, unknown device. She proceeded to try to jab at Garnet with it. Garnet dodged these jabs, smiling just a little, "Come at me without any of those fancy tools."

The kids soon found themselves at the boat, finally, and Connie sighed of relief, "We made it!"

Peridot joined them, holding the sword protectively, and jumped in the boat, trying to get it to sit upright. Bill himself was still snug in Jasper's bubble, near the steering wheel, but he seemed to be waking up. Steven got rid of the bubble around him and studied the boat. Lapis mostly just sat there watching everything like a silent spectator.

Jasper snarled. "You're an abomination!" she launched herself at Garnet, yelling. Garnet held out her arms, intent on pushing Jasper back. The green Gem handed the sword over, and Connie took it and stepped into the boat as well. Peridot would ask all sorts of questions, but this wasn't the time. She continued trying to move the boat.

"Hey, look!" the boy called for everyone's attention, pointing to the little bubble with Bill in it. Connie followed the finger's direction and gasped. He then took the sword from the brunette and popped open the bubble, by poking it with the tip of the blade. The demon was now free once again, but was still conked out. He twitched every now and then though. Peridot glanced at him, stopping what she was doing, and raised an eyebrow. She asked, "What is that?"

Connie smiled at him. She was glad he was still alive. She didn't think she could handle life if he died because of their failure.

"That's... um.. a long story!" Steven admitted, nervously. "We don't have time for that right now though!"

Jasper tried to sock Garnet in the face with her free hand, and jab at her torso with her device. The fusion caught the hand, and flipped over Jasper before she could hit her with the device. She frowned, "You're not fighting fair."

Jasper spat at her, "It's not about fighting fair - it's about winning! and you're one to talk about fairness, you filthy war machine!" she roared and lunged at the fusion again, weapon poised to hit her chest.

Garnet frowned and simply sidestepped mere inches before it hit, and the Quartz Warrior crashed to the ground, shaking the structure much like an earthquake.

The small Gem Technician trembled, but nodded, and glanced at the boat again, "Okay. Well, help me right this boat." She resumed pushing. Connie, after picking Bill up and setting him somewhere safe, helped her push.

Steven got out the boat and picked it up with ease, with the two still on it, "Where do you want me to put this?"

"Waah!" Peridot screamed quietly, holding onto the edge now. She was honestly surprised, and the brunette blushed a little, having forgotten. The Gem cleared her throat, "Right here. The ocean is miles below. I'm gonna need to repair it."

Steven then set it back down, upright, just as easily. Peridot thanked him, letting go of the ledge, and looked for a panel. Connie shakily let go too, glancing over at the fight almost anxiously.

The fusion walked around Jasper and took the object, breaking it in two and tossing it away. Jasper yelled with frustration, getting up and spinning into a whirlwind, circling the fusion. Hopefully, she was thinking, Garnet would have no idea from where the orange Gem would strike next. Garnet stared at her, still in a battle pose. She was going to have to guess.

Peridot soon found the panel and slowly pulled it off, revealing the vital wires and circuitry within. She'd visit the engine later, if she needed to. But right now, she studied this. Some of them had been snapped, clean in two, and her eyes widened.

"Find anything?" Connie whispered, and the green Gem nodded, turning a little pale.

"Can you fix it?" asked Steven, before wondering what they needed the boat for anyway. They had the Warp Pad, after all!

"I think so.." the small Gem began to work, focusing on fusing the wires back together. "This boat could fancy a weapon or two."

Connie finally got why she wanted it fixed. To help them defeat Jasper. Just Jasper. She'd noticed Lapis wasn't trying. Jasper suddenly struck from behind, punching hard. Garnet fell forward, groaning slightly, but she wasn't down yet. She promptly got back up and launched herself at Jasper. The brawny Quartz kept fighting, glaring with hatred at the fusion. She hated everything she stood for. And she knew it was a losing battle. She was terrified of that fact, so she did her best to ignore it and keep fighting.

Peridot fixed the wires, and then walked over to the safe and cracked it open easily, pulling out what she thought would go well for making a weapon. She made sure it wasn't anything valuable though, but picked the junk that didn't really seem to hold value. Connie and Steven watched her lug these back with quite some interest.

Garnet grinned. She knew she was winning, and didn't hesitate to show it. She kept fighting too, getting hit a few times but not going down, and dodging and blocking too. Jasper glanced around and saw Lapis sitting there. "Lazuli! help me!" she commanded, throwing another punch. She bit her lip, trying harder. She had to win...

The fusion caught the punch, frowning softly, but then it turned into a smile, "Let's go, just me and you."

Lapis glanced between them both, torn by indecision. She saw that Garnet and Jasper were seemingly locked in a stalemate.

Peridot set the objects down and set about making weapons with them. It was of the oddest things, things they never thought could go into weapon making before. But with the tools, the green technician was well on her way. The brunette's eyes sparkled. The boy watched as well, eyes sparkly stars. Peridot could practically _feel_ the admiration, as she continued working, so she smiled.

Lapis then decided now was a great time to retreat to the sky, and she tried to take off, only to be caught by Jasper, who dragged her back down, kicking and struggling. The Quartz growled then, slamming Lapis down, knocking her out for the time being. She yelled, before throwing some more punches at Garnet. She knew she could win against them if they weren't fused. And that infuriated her. She shouted, "Fusion is just a cheap trick to make weak Gems stronger! quit embarrassing yourselves."

The fusion simply smiled, even as one of the punches conked her on the face. She then delivered a sweeping kick. Jasper felt her legs fail her, falling to the ground. She was losing her footing in this battle and she knew it.

* * *

 **A/N:** Cliffhanger again! xD This was originally going to be longer, including [[REDACTED]], but I decided it was too long and split it off here. Ace had Jasper and Steven, and I had Lapis for four lines before Ace vouched to take her for the rest of the chapter ((nice job!)), and I had also Garnet, Connie ((whom Lapis was switched for)), Peridot, and Bill.

I hope you enjoyed that. :3


	64. Act of Desperation

**A/N:** And now for the moment you've, or one, have all been waiting for! it leads off exactly where the previous chapter left off! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Sixty-Four: Act of Desperation**

Connie glanced up at the fight every now and then, as Peridot focused her entire concentration on these weapons, whispering, "Almost done..."

The contraptions started to look more like a plasma gun, long-range taser, magnet ray, and a hookshot. Bill Cipher had woken up just a fraction, but still seemed out of it. He groaned and mumbled some stuff, his eye only slightly open. Steven noticed and scooped Bill up and hugged him, happy he was awake again, even if he wasn't really awake.

The small demon hugged back, groggily, "Ugh.. what's going on..? I feel like I got hit by a truck..."

Connie smiled, "We're rescuing you." But she didn't complete it, still watching Peridot, who glanced over at the triangle, who still seemed confused. The Gem then began rewiring some of the wires through these weapons, and they started glowing. She smirked, and grabbed a joystick she'd found and installed, aiming the plasma gun at the felled Gem, chuckling, "Let's see what this baby can do..."

Garnet saw this occurring in her future vision, and backed away, making it look like she was going to jump onto the Quartz. Jasper gasped and rolled out of the way of the anticipated attack, and Steven watched anxiously. Bill closed his eye again, still majorly out of it. Peridot smirked, taking aim and soon firing at the orange Gem. Connie grinned, clenching her hands. Jasper had no time to get up and move, and so was hit, shaking as it affected her painfully. Connie cheered quietly. Garnet looked over and flashed a thumbs up over at them. The green Gem blushed out of humility. The demon reopened his eye, and slapped himself a few times to get his head back in the game.

Jasper struggled to get up again, panting and grunting. Garnet stood over her, but did nothing, giving her a fighting chance. Peridot grinned at how this weakened her. Connie glanced at Bill then, and winked, as if she knew what he was thinking at this point. The demon then grinned, almost lopsidedly, and teleported away. He had a plan.

The Quartz managed to stand. "You'd be NOTHING without your cheap tricks!" she yelled in Garnet's face, before throwing her fist towards the fusion.

The fusion smirked, not bothering to move. Anyone else would question why, until a certain demon blocked the punch with sheer power and will.

Connie gained diamonds in her eyes, and so did Peridot, as they took to watch. They were about to witness just how powerful he really is, and Peridot seemed to forget he was the one the Stans were after. However, he was going to hold back a lot. But Jasper still wouldn't stand a chance. Jasper huffed, glaring at the fusion. "I'd like to watch you beat me without the help of your friends!"

"I already have.. it's his turn now," she then stepped back, grinning. "And he has quite a lot to say to you."

"Darn right, I do!" Bill cracked his knuckles just to show off, also grinning. "Unless you'd like a round two with her?"

He again shifted into Garnet, a perfect replica, aside from the snazzy suit. Connie started clapping quietly, eyes still diamonds, "Woah! Steven! are you seeing this?!"

Peridot couldn't speak for a moment, hand still on the joystick. She soon mustered out a, "Wow..."

Steven grinned and cheered, doing a little jig.

"Speak, then!" the large Gem would have told him he had no right to talk to her, but she needed the break, to restore her energy.

"I'd rather speak.. with my FIST!" and Birnet punched her, right in the face.

"Oooh," Peridot and Connie had shared reactions while Garnet's grin got bigger. Her guard was down, so she fell back to the ground immediately. She knew, for certain, she would lose to these traitors if she didn't do anything...

She glanced around. Peridot was obviously on the other side. The kids were out of the question, and Bill too. That left...

"...Lazuli..." she muttered, and then shouted, "LAZULI!"

Lapis was still out cold on the cold, hard ground, her cheek pressing up against it. Birnet growled a little, grabbing her and pulling her up, "I'm not finished with you!"

Garnet was unsure whether to get Bill to stop or to let this continue. Which was saying something. Connie seemed to be becoming distressed. Peridot didn't seem to care. As long as Jasper lost.

The Ultimate Quartz pushed away from Birnet, running the best she could towards the fallen Gem, the last one she could trust. Birnet stepped towards Jasper, and for a moment it seemed like he had the intent to shatter her. The brunette then shattered, hands cupping her mouth, "BILL! peace! peace!"

Birnet glanced at her, and then at Steven, and stopped cold in his tracks. He growled and shifted back into his usual form, and Garnet stepped up to pat him on the back. Peridot was focused on the burly Gem and Lapis, who was just now waking up, groaning softly.

"Lazuli..." Jasper grabbed her and pulled her to her knees. "Please, we're being overwhelmed... we need to..." something then clicked in the orange Gem's mind, "...to fuse."

Steven was watching also, a bit confused, however. Lapis's eyes widened briefly, and then she frowned softly, "But that's looked down upon back on Homeworld..."

The demon and the fusion walked over to the boat then, with the latter still prepared for anything, and Connie and the green Gem were getting horrible feelings about this all, their stomachs sinking. Peridot grabbed at the sleeves of her trench coat.

"We don't have a choice, Lazuli. I wish we did. But we have to. These Gems - they're traitors. They'll shatter us both!" Jasper subtly, partially lied, desperation creeping into her tone. "Bill - he started the rebellion. If we beat him, Homeworld will praise us, no matter how we get it done!" she smiled a little.

"W-what's going on?" Steven cautiously approached the subject, wondering why it was so quiet.

"I think they're planning to fuse," Peridot informed him, small bags of worry forming under her eyes, and he gasped. Garnet nodded to confirm this. Bill clenched and unclenched his fists every now and then. It was clear he was very understandably mad at Jasper.

The hydro-Gem glanced at the boat where everyone, her enemy, was crowded, and then back into Jasper's eyes. She nodded then, if only to get back at Bill, "Fine. But we target Bill and _only_ Bill."

Connie saw the nod, and bit her lip, whispering, "Lapis, no!"

Jasper scoffed, "Fine..." and picked up Lapis properly, so that they were standing. The blue Gem then held out her hand, and the rest could do nothing but watch. Bill raised an eyebrow at his allies, becoming irritated, "Why aren't we doing anything?"

Neither Connie, Peridot, Steven nor Garnet could answer. And so Jasper started to dance, and Lapis followed her motions, a little reluctantly, however. She spared yet another glance at the haphazard group of allies, but focused mostly on this dance. Connie took back her sword, intent on doing something, but Garnet stopped her. A human wouldn't stand a chance against two Gems. She also wanted to see if the Homeworld Gems could stand a chance. She doubted it, however. They then started to glow, and to merge. Garnet held onto Steven protectively, and so did Bill, while Peridot chose Connie. All of them frowned at this.

The light grew taller, and larger too, and it somehow didn't look as deformed as they thought it'd be. Steven gasped, watching with eldritch horror. The fusion started to laugh, weakly, as it formed. And then it was complete. It stood, with wild hair, four eyes and four arms. But one pair of feet that looked like hands. They grinned at them all. Bill didn't look scared in the slightest. Connie did for a split second before she raised her sword again, jumping out of the boat. Peridot had much the same look as the boy's.

Malachite towered over all of them, a smirk on her face. Water rushed up from behind her - Lapis's part of the fusion. Bill glanced at them all, Connie in particular, "I'll take care of this.."

She lowered her sword, about to speak, that she was going to help no matter what.

"Wait!" Steven's voice cut through the slight silence, as he ran up to join Connie, "Lapis, I know you're in there... please!" he couldn't find the words, and Malachite was in no mood to listen. The water slapped down where the children stood.  
Bill zoomed in front of them, putting up a shield, and the water rushed off of it. Garnet merely watched. She was sure things were going to go fine. Peridot's eyes shimmered, as she grabbed the rim of the boat, "Woah.."

And then she glanced at the control. Maybe she could help..? but then the fusion stopped her, and she soon obliged with a reluctant nod. More tendrils of water shot up from the ocean, and then shot towards Garnet and Peridot. The monstrous fusion laughed, displaying expert control over them. Peridot freaked out, her hair going all over the place, but Garnet grabbed her and jumped out of the boat just before the tendrils hit. Luckily, the boat was okay.

"Hey, leave them alone!" the demon shouted, narrowing his eye and firing a laser at them through his finger. "Your business is with _me_!"

Connie started running back to Garnet and Peridot, her sword held out so she could hopefully counter any attacks, and Steven followed, shield out to help. Malachite chuckled, before focusing all her water on Bill instead. She intended to crush him like a bug. But the demon just wasn't going to let this happen. He shielded himself from the water, and flew towards her face. She lifted a set of her arms with which to catch him like a net. Bill then let loose a chuckle of his own and fired a rather powerful beam, right at her forehead. He took care to avoid the gem located where her nose would be. A wall of water rose up to intercept the beam, while her hands closed in around the triangle.

Peridot glanced at them all, and said out of the side of her mouth, "I think we should leave..."

Connie and Garnet looked at her, and seemed to second her statement. But at the same time, they wanted to see this. They wanted to see how it would turn out, even though it would go in their favor. Hell, it was _Bill_. But they wanted to see how.

"Lapis! stop fighting, please!" Steven yelled again, hoping she could still hear him in there. He didn't want anyone getting hurt.

The demon glanced at the boy, and frowned softly. He moved upwards to avoid the hands, and snapped his fingers, enclosing the spectators in a bubble. Rain soon afterwards began to fall, but it quickly turned into something lethal. Malachite glared at Bill, and swung her arms towards him; she heard a hissing noise, but ultimately ignored it. The triangle dodged this too, _just_ barely, as the fist caught the tip of his foot. This wasn't enough to knock him completely off-kilter, however, but it did something. Seeing as he had summoned the acid rain, he wasn't by any means affected by it, so it was all good.

Connie kept cheering him on, hoping her voice carried through the bubble. Peridot, however, chewed on her nails, completely unsure. Garnet was simply smiling, arms crossed. Steven again tried to get through to his blue Gem friend. But it was ultimately unheard. Malachite dove into the ocean.

"Ah.. uhm.." Peridot was the first to speak up, green eyes wide, "where is she going...?"

Garnet seemed a little taken aback, particularly by a vision that Malachite was heading towards Beach City now...

Bill kept his guard up, having steadied himself in the air, looking around for any sign of the large fusion. Connie had her sword out yet again, even though she and her friends were protected by this dome. Malachite resurfaced behind Bill, close to the bubble, and pounced on it almost immediately. Steven yelled out, terrified, as it was so sudden.

Connie and Peridot recoiled, while Garnet covered them, trying her best to protect them. Bill turned around, alerted by Steven's shout, and it was almost all he could do. Malachite managed to burst the bubble, and grinned.

"Hey, what are you doing?!" the demon shouted at the rogue fusion. He then snapped his fingers, stopping the acid rain, and a barrage of weapons flew towards Malachite. They were heat-seeking too, focused only on her signature. Garnet led the trio away from the fusion, sweating almost profusely. But she tried her best to keep calm. She really did.

Malachite caught the weapons in her water, and forced them down into the ocean. She glared, and her arms slowly reached for the group huddled together, intent on separating them...

"Stop! they don't have anything to do with this! you want me! and only _me_!" he tried almost everything to bring her attention back to him.

The fusion made of love wrapped her arms around the trio and jumped away, landing far on the other side of the Galaxy Warp. Okay. They really had to leave now. She grunted a little, "Steven! Bill is busy. Work your magic. Quickly."

Peridot was about to interject, saying that she could fix a Warp Pad too and that they could take the one that wasn't broken, but they had little time. So very little time. Connie kept a close eye on Malachite, narrowing her eyes. She remembered Lapis was the one who wasn't keen on hurting them. What if that changed? what if she was becoming infected with Jasper's hatred? what if.. they were becoming one..? she remembered Steven telling her what happened with Sugilite, what almost happened to Garnet and Amethyst... a thought dawned on her then. Bill _had_ to separate them.

Steven was frozen in place for a second before he gasped and licked his hand, slapping it on the pad quickly. Malachite slammed all four of her fists onto the Galaxy Warp, shaking the structure. She realized this was distracting Bill, and would as long as they were in danger. Until they were gone, he wouldn't be able to completely destroy her. Peridot screamed, unable to control her fear. Connie remained calm, "Come on, Steven..."

Garnet glanced up at Bill, who conjured up more weapons, coupled with some slow-moving reality-damaging waves. He was starting to get serious. Especially because his friends were in danger. The crack in the Warp Pad began to mend, but not as quickly as the quad would have hoped. Malachite's arm moved to sweep them off the pad and into the ocean. Focused on the four, she didn't prepare for the weapons.

The arm came too quick for all of them to jump out of the way, so it was quite a long way down. Bill was too distracted at the moment to try and rescue hem. Garnet was the first one to pop up from the water, along with Peridot. And they proceeded to look around for Connie and Steven, freaking out. Fortunately, the brunette resurfaced, gasping for air, and then spat, narrowing her eyes, "Well, I wasn't expecting to get wet more than thrice today..."

She then looked for the boy, becoming just as worried as the two aliens were. Steven finally popped up in a little air bubble. He looked sad. "Sorry..." he whispered, and was more than a little disappointed.

"It's okay, Steven.." Garnet gathered them all up, and proceeded to swim back. Back to the beach. Bill and Malachite needed to get this out, on their own. The large, monstrous fusion grinned down at them. Now, they were in her water. But that's all she was able to think before she noticed the weapons Bill had just thrown and had to use the water to protect herself again.

The weapons were caught in it, but the reality-bending waves just cut straight through the barrier of water. And then Malachite vanished, just like that. No, not dead, merely transported somewhere else. Those waves sent her to the other side of the planet. The demon blinked, but then smiled. Since they only wanted him, the fusion was no longer a problem. They'd probably unfuse at this point anyway. He chuckled, and then floated down to the boat. He set a hand on it and teleported just then, to where Garnet and the others were. He had to give the fusion more credit. She managed to get this far, even while holding three people, in such a short amount of time.

Connie glanced back towards the towering structure, and noticed she was gone. She then looked at Bill, frowning, "Where'd she go?"

"Is Lapis going to be okay?" asked a distressed Steven.

"They're all the way on the other side of the planet, kids, safe and sound," the demon grinned, as Garnet hopped onto the boat and then let the three go. Peridot smiled at this. "They probably wound up near a Warp Pad. So they'll have nothing to do but either come back or report failure, and I don't think they'll come back."

Of course, the fusion had no way to get off the planet. She struggled to defuse, but Jasper wouldn't let them. She had never failed a mission, and wasn't going to start now. Lapis, of course, didn't want to go back and fight again, especially with Steven there, but Jasper didn't give her much of a choice.

"Well, that's a relief," the green Gem sighed. She seemed on board with the whole thing. She sat down and so did Garnet, while Bill started up the boat and headed for home. Steven and Connie could finally relax, sitting down as well. Of course, the thought that the fusion was still out there was a scary one, but it couldn't get to them that quickly, could it?

"I wonder if Stan and Ford will like the new addition to their boat," the green Gem smiled, already moving on.

"Something tells me they will," Garnet answered, watching the watery environment pass them by. The golden triangle set the boat on a magical autopilot, and then floated over and sat next to Steven.

The boy sighed. "So.. did I introduce you two?" he glanced at Garnet and Bill.

"You don't have to," Garnet slightly lost the smile. "I already know."

The demon suppressed a shudder. Sapphire. He knew she remembered what he did. Peridot glanced at the two, already sensing drama, and wrapped her arms around herself, casting a little look towards Connie, who took to watching this sadly.

"Oh.. wait, how?" Steven asked with a frown. "You two met before?"  
"You could say that," the fusion was blunt. "More than five hundred years ago. Before I was formed."

Bill looked at the ground. Peridot started humming, getting up and eyeing the environment. They were getting closer to shore.

"Were you two friends?" he gleefully queried, smiling, head filled with the thought of them being friends. Garnet shook her head, frowning. Bill closed his eye. Poor, optimistic Steven. He was evil five hundred years ago. And even longer than that.

"Oh, wait..." Steven remembered how Bill used to be just then, and sighed, looking down at the wood. "Sorry for prying."

"It's fine," the fusion sighed. "You deserve to know. But not right now. We all need to recover."

The dream demon nodded, and soon the boat reached land, the docks, coming to a stop. Bill was the first to leave, while Peridot sought to anchor it into place. Yellowtail smiled up at them, glad they came back safely. He wasn't sure about the two men, but he assumed they had as well. Peridot nodded at him, "Thanks for watching the boat."

The little man saluted then, and the Gem saluted back, grinning, as she was reminded of Stan. How were they? Garnet stood up, stretching out and stepping out too. She vowed to herself that she'd tell Steven. After they recovered.

* * *

 **A/N:** Alright. Finally. Here it is. The conclusion of the battle. That was exciting, wasn't it? xD  
Ace had Jasper, Connie near the end, Steven and Malachite. I had Bill, Connie from the beginning (until later in the chapter when they got in the boat - Ace took her back then), Garnet, Peridot, Yellowtail, and Lapis. :3

Hope ya enjoyed! next chapter is coming next Thursday. xD

Also, I forgot to say two chapters ago, but I had gotten the Switch and Super Mario Odyssey a few weeks ago. It's amazing! and I also got gifted Cuphead on Steam and I'm very slowly going through it. xD If y'all wanna add me on the Switch, here it is: SW-7128-9721-4607.

By the way, HAPPY THANKSGIVING and have a wonderful BLACK FRIDAY! WOO!


	65. A Haunting Reprieve

**A/N:** Guys, I'm so sorry for how late this is. But I'd been feeling sick and lazy. But, well, better late than never, eh? anyway, I'd like to say thank you to the following: TheLilyoftheValley, ...and that's actually it. Well, uh, thank you for the favorite and follow! so, let's get this show on the road, eh?

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Sixty-Five: A Haunting Reprieve**

And thus, they all headed towards Steven's house, and the boy was somewhat slacking, rather tired after the long day. Connie called her mom and talked it over, and Priyanka allowed her to stay the night with the boy. Garnet followed the half-Gem, arms crossed, and Peridot looked down at herself, just now noticing how short she was. With all that was happening, she barely cared. The demon had made it back long before they did, sitting on the railing. He looked a little down.

Steven reached the top of the stairs first, and noticed. Glancing at his isosceles friend, he asked, "You okay, buddy?"

The demon looked up at the boy, and shook himself, "Not really, kid. I made so many mistakes back then..."

And back then he wouldn't have called them mistakes. He sighed, looking at his hands now. Garnet opened the door, letting Connie and Peridot in, and then entered herself. But she stood at the closed door then, listening. Steven cast his gaze down to the wooden floor, "I'm sorry. I keep forgetting..." and then his eyes brightened up a little, as he looked at Bill again, "but it's a good thing, right? I mean, you've changed so much, everyone else can start forgetting too." He smiled.

The demon glanced his way, and slowly smiled back, "Yeah, that's true.."

Garnet smiled at this, placing a hand on the screen.

"Some day, everyone will forgive and forget what you did. Even you," the boy hugged him then.

Bill Cipher teared up, and hugged the boy back, "Thank you.. I don't know about forgetting, but maybe.. I'll be able to forgive myself..."

Steven nodded, but didn't say anything, for he was at a loss of words. And then the triangle started crying, remembering his building depression. His adopted brother, his parents, his former society, everything about his past, every mistake he made - it all led up to this. It all led up to his depression, all his problems. But he was moving past it, wasn't he?

The boy pat him on the back, "Sh, it's okay, Bill... come on inside, I'll get you a cup of hot cocoa."

Bill sniffled, and nodded, "Hot cocoa would be nice..."

Garnet then walked away from the door, sitting on the couch with Connie. Peridot, after checking in with Stan and Ford, had gone to explore, and had mostly taken interest in the bathroom. Steven led him inside and shut the door behind them both. He let go of Bill and went to the kitchen to make some refreshments. "Who all wants hot chocolate?" he called, glancing at the twins for a second.

Ford immediately raised his hand, revealing the blue bracelet on his wrist and smiling as he chewed. He'd gotten better fairly quickly, and Pearl was impressed. Of course, food and rest were part of the reason for his fast recovery. Garnet also raised a hand. Bill sat down beside Garnet and sniffled again, tears still falling. This time around, he didn't care if the twins saw him cry. Connie raised a hand, smiling a little. Stan shook his head, still eating along with Ford.

"Let's see... one, two, three, four, five..." he started making drinks for all of them, and when he was done, he hand delivered them all. The fifth one he kept for himself, and he sat next to Bill. The demon wiped his tears away and shivered as he sipped at it. It felt pretty good, and it warmed him up inside. Ford also drank it with his food, and it all tasted delightful. He had to hand it to Pearl. She was excellent at cooking. He wondered how long she had to train to get this good. Garnet also sipped at hers, not having to wait till it got bearable enough to drink. She _did_ drink coffee for breakfast, anyway. Metaphorically speaking.

Steven sighed, sipping at his cup. "Pretty good, eh?" he asked, glancing at Ford.

The man nodded, smiling even more, "It's excellent."

The demon silently agreed, staring at the Warp Pad for some reason. He began to suspect something...

Garnet nodded, and glanced at Bill, and at the Temple Gate. She was expecting someone, and was fully prepared to defend the triangle. Steven grinned just then, constantly sipping at his hot chocolate. Connie soon felt out of place here, so she tried to make conversation with Ford, who then returned her attempt, finishing his meal and sipping more at his hot chocolate. He seemed to be handling himself well, now, despite Bill being on the couch, in the same house with him. Stan seemed to share the same sentiment, but his eyes held their gaze on his food. Steven relaxed in the face of this, finishing his hot cocoa too.

And so it was peaceful, in spite or perhaps _because_ of the craziness that happened just thirty minutes ago. But there was still some unease. Particularly between Bill and Garnet, who were staring at the Warp Pad and the Temple Gate respectively. They could sense the drama no one else could. The one of many drawbacks with future vision. Connie bit her lip as the conversation seemed to reach an impasse, and so she said nothing.

There was silence then, now. Bill and Garnet were both finished with their hot cocoa at this point, and while the demon felt better about earlier, he still felt stressed about something. He was about to express it when the white stone on the gate glowed, and said door opened, revealing Pearl on the other side. Garnet bit her lip, glancing at Steven and the triangle. The tall Gem had come out to check on the two old men, making sure they were fine, and held a small conversation with them. Luckily, on her way to the kitchen, she didn't notice Bill. Yet.

Steven wondered why everyone was so quiet, but did nothing to break the silence. He looked at Pearl, waving. Pearl noticed the boy out of the corner of her eye, and waved back, turning to face him fully. And then she saw Bill, and paled completely. The fusion held a hand in front of the demon, who closed his eye, _Here we go..._

The air was tense, the room was silent. Who would be the first to break it? Connie looked around, noticing the atmosphere had changed. For the worse. Pearl ended up being the one to break the silence, frowning softly, "Steven.. you need to get away from him..."

Garnet was honestly surprised at how calm Pearl was, but she knew a meltdown was well on its way. Ford put all his attention on this exchange, eyebrow raised, and Stan too. Bill squirmed, screwing his eye shut.

"Pearl, he's on our side..." Steven began, highly confused and afraid as well.

"You really believe that?" the Gem looked shocked, and stared at them all, "all of you?"

Garnet nodded. Ford exchanged glances with his brother, furrowing his brow, and Pearl rounded on him, "Wasn't he the demon you came to defeat? why isn't he gone?"

"He's, uhm, reformed," Ford frowned.

"And you take his word for it?" she kept being calm, and it was honestly unnerving.

"Pearl, please," the demon began, and the Gem tossed him a glare and shouted, "Shut up!" and he immediately shriveled up and curled up on the couch. Steven didn't know what to say now, pressed up against the couch. Connie, too, was at a loss of words, her hot chocolate chilling in her hands.

The tall Gem began shaking, eyes narrowing at Bill, "You deserve death for what you've done. For what you've done to the Gems, for what you've done to everyone.." and then her voice increased in volume, "and for what you did to Rose!"

She unsheathed her spear, all of a sudden not caring if children were here, and was about to drive it right into the demon's eye. She was doing what she thought was right for her family and loved ones, dead or alive. Garnet stood up, standing in front of Bill, blocking the spear, "Pearl. Stop this."

"I've tried to listen to you, Garnet, but it's not working!" tears slipped from her blue eyes. The fusion wasn't letting up. Ford's eyes widened. Both at how she got out her weapon and what was happening. Stan had stopped eating, slowly, biting his lip.

"Wait, what did he do to mom?" Steven interjected, eyes a little wide. He was trying to figure out what had happened. He realized Bill still hadn't told him everything... but could he blame the guy? no.

The Gem glanced at him, taking deep breaths, the spear still aimed towards Bill even though Garnet stood in the way, "He manipulated her. Like he did to Sapphire! only it started a large war. The war we told you about."

The cat was out of the bag. Multiple, deadly cats. The fusion lowered her head. She didn't want Steven to find out this way. The demon curled even more, tears falling. He didn't want to move anymore. He wanted to die right now. The only thing stopping him from going out, summoning a lightning storm, and overloading himself was his promise to Steven. And their friendship was probably going to hang in the balance.

"So what?" those two words shattered that trail of thought, but unknowingly caused more tension, as Pearl gripped the spear even tighter. He continued, "That was back then! he's a good guy now! you guys just... you have to realize he's trying to fix his mistakes, and help him." He tried the best he could, close to tears. He hugged his triangular friend. "Pearl... please. I know what he did. But I forgive him. It might take you longer, but... you should too."

The demon couldn't even hug the boy back. He was way too beside himself in his silent tears. Pearl glanced at the triangle, and then the boy again. She then growled and dropped the spear, which vanished, and said, "Fine. But if he does something, don't say I didn't warn you..."

She then retreated back into her room, the door slamming behind her. Ford was absolutely speechless, and Connie sunk into the couch. Garnet relaxed, but only a little bit, and she looked at the two. Steven sighed, hugging his best friend tightly, trying to soothe him and himself. Garnet sat back down and pulled them into a hug as well, and sighed, "..she'll come around."

"I'm sorry.. I'm so, _so_ sorry..." was all Bill kept whispering, and otherwise was completely unresponsive. Ford simply sat there, unsure what to besides alternate his gazes from his brother, the Temple Gate, and the weeping triangle and his friend.

Connie sighed eventually, feeling out of place, "Should I go home?"

"You're fine, Connie," the fusion answered. "But if you want to.." The brunette frowned, conflicted as of this moment.

The demon was still incredibly inconsolable, but at least he finally hugged the boy back. Ford sighed. A certain green Gem then rushed in, looking a little worried, and frowned, "Looks like I missed a lot..."

Stan cleared his throat, pulling at his collar, "Yeah, you could say that again..."

Peridot sighed, "Well, hope whatever that was gets resolved..."

Garnet and Ford nodded. It was terrifying for the old man to see Pearl angry like that. Maybe it would indeed blow over soon.

"Man..." muttered Steven, looking down with tears shining in the corners of his eyes. Garnet was still holding him and Bill, and squeezed a little tighter to comfort them. The demon sighed, having finally stopped crying, "Yep.."

Peridot had gone over to Ford and Stan to get the full story of what happened while she was gone, listening intently. Otherwise, the silence again descended and overstayed its welcome. Steven soon wanted to be alone, so Connie went on her way home after parting some comforting words. He suggested the twins should go too, a hand on his forehead. He was tired, and felt like he might be coming down with something. The twins nodded, and Peridot did too. The old scientist stood up, "We've overstayed anyway. We should be on our way to Antarctica."

He didn't question the small green Gem nodding along with them. She belonged with them now anyway. And he wanted to learn how to operate the new weapons. Stan got up as well, leaving behind a few bits of his meal. He'd lost his appetite, but with what he ate he wouldn't be hungry for the grand majority of their journey. Garnet stood up too, "Good luck, you all, and get well, Steven," and into her room she went. Bill, however, stuck around, still feeling sick inside. But he felt he had something to do right now, as he stared at the Warp Pad. Ford began walking to the door, with Stan following behind, and Steven began up to the loft, a sort of limp in his step.

Peridot filed in behind the ex-manager, and Ford reached the door and looked back, "Stay safe, you all. And thank you."

The demon glanced at them and nodded. Peridot hummed softly, staring at her green bracelet now. Now she only came up to their knees. But this didn't take away from anything in Ford's eyes. She was still fascinating. She was still a friend. Steven watched, hands on the railing - silently, almost sullen as well. Ford waved one last time before he opened the door, and walked out, towards their boat. When he got to the end of the steps, however, something slipped out of his pocket, into the sands, to be forgotten.

"Goodbye..." called the boy, probably too soft to be heard. But Stan turned and smiled, and waved, revealing the red bracelet, before he would disappear from view.

"Bye!" Peridot waved back as well, and bounded down the stairs after them, the door shutting behind. Now it was just Bill and Steven. Again. It felt just as before. But so many things had happened that changed everything. Changed reality...

* * *

 **A/N:** YES. But this isn't the end, my friends! when will we finally reach the end, you ask? well, you'll see. Because we don't know. xD  
Ace was Steven, Stan, and Connie. I had Bill, Peridot, Garnet, Ford and Pearl. :3  
Hope ya enjoyed!


	66. Ill

**A/N:** OH, THANK GOODNESS. SCHOOL IS OVER FOR ME. I had just come home from taking my last final, so now I have till January as a vacation! woo! so, as you can see, I decided not to release this Sunday like I did for the last, because that was unintentional anyways. So, I finally got a new review! lemme respond..

/Guest (EMObillcipher89): It's good to hear from you again! I thought something happened to you and everyone else. And yeah, Pearl was not happy at all; she was LIVID and horrifically sad. Not that it would have been any better if Garnet and Keyhole had told her straight away, but she was warned. Besides, well, she wouldn't have taken well to Bill anyway, I think. And yeah, poor, poor Bill.. it's like a trauma conga line. And, well... thankfully Bill is still largely impossible to kill without the proper equipment, but... yah... and MERRY EARLY CHRISTMAS TO YA TOO, DEAR. :3

Man, I need more people reviewing. If any of you can get the early reviewers to come back or review yourself or get more people reading this story, I'll be eternally grateful and so will Ace. And a shout out to Missabakuno! I'm glad you loved it enough to favorite it!

Now that we have that all taken care of, let's head on to the next chapter! wooo!

* * *

 **A Triangle in The Stars**  
 **Chapter Sixty-Six: Ill**

Steven watched the door for a few minutes, before he walked over to bed and climbed onto it. He passed out moments later. The triangle then frowned, and got up from the couch. That Warp Pad just wouldn't leave his mind. It was the place where they discovered the Void. Perhaps...

And then the Temple Gate opened again, revealing Pearl. She saw everyone was gone, except for Bill, and she stepped back, obviously repulsed. She'd come out to do her round of cleaning, but regretted it now. She'd thought he left too. The demon looked up at her, and frowned just a little. It was clear he wasn't looking forward to her presence. She wasn't either, to his, but she stepped out anyway, into the room, and began silently picking up after the folks. Bill watched her, and Pearl tried to ignore the eye on her. After a while, she couldn't take anymore, and rounded on him, hissing, "Stop staring at me!"

And he did, directing his eye somewhere else, "S..sorry."

But now the Gem was staring at _him_ , unable to tear her eyes away. It was quite hypocritical, but she had grown just a little curious. Bill didn't match her gaze for a while, but he soon grew tired of this examination. He looked at her, raising an eyebrow, and she jumped, and quickly returned to cleaning up. Soon, she was finished, and then retreated back into her room before either of them could say anything. The demon sighed, and returned his task to the Warp Pad, floating over to it. He stood on it, just like before, and activated it.

It made that familiar wooshing sound, as it brought him to the Kindergarten. It was as dead and quiet as ever. Bill jumped a little bit, looking around. He wasn't supposed to reach anything. He must've let his attention slip. The demon then activated it again, intent on breaking the stream. He _had_ to prove his theory. And he hoped he was right. And after a minute, he would find himself in the cold darkness of the Void.

Bill knew this could equal a fate worse than death if he wasn't fast enough, but he barely cared. He had to find him. He cupped his hands, and was about to call, into the sheer darkness.

 _"William Nolis... I didn't expect to find you here again,"_ rang the Void.

The demon flinched at this, especially at the name used, and nodded, "Y..yeah. I'm looking for my brother. Is he here, maybe?"

He cut to the chase rather quickly. There wasn't enough time for small talk. The curse could still be here. There was a heavy silence for a little while.

 _"No,"_ the Void answered finally, truthfully.

"N..no?" his eye widened. Tears pricked at his eye and threatened to fall, but he wouldn't let them. "Wh..what do you mean 'no'?"

 _"I mean, your brother is not here. I do not know where he is now,"_ it explained, with a strange, reverberating sigh.

Bill choked on a sob. He wasn't going to accept this yet. He then asked softly, "Was I too late..? o..or is he really...?"

He couldn't bear to finish the sentence, choking again. The little noises were heartrending to hear. There was silence again, before...

 _"I sent him away,"_ it finally answered. _"You should go, now. Your time is short."_

William trembled for quite some time. He was coming to get him. Why didn't the Void wait? ..but that wouldn't have been fair. At least he knew Gabe was free. And alive. But they were now apart. Again. He soon brought himself back together, realizing his time was indeed short, and nodded, "Thank you..."

He then reactivated the stream, setting it back home, still trembling, still trying to be strong. The Warp Pad chimed and he materialized on it, shuddering, but then he heard Steven letting out whimpers. The demon sniffled and inwardly groaned, wiping away tears. He was hoping to just break down and weep in peaceful silence the moment he got home, but he had to comfort the boy. He sighed and headed up the stairs, "Kid..?"

He didn't respond, and his eyes were closed, and his breath harsh. His paler than pale face indicated that he may have a fever, but the only way to know for sure was if the demon would lay a hand on him. Bill approached him, and frowned softly. Guess the kid wasn't lying when he said he thought he was coming down with something. He placed a hand on his forehead, and nearly withdrew it due to how unusually hot it was. He tried to cure it, with good old magic. If this didn't work he would probably have to get Pearl, or Greg, and he wasn't looking forward to either. All thoughts of where his brother might be had vanished to the back of his mind. He had to take care of Steven now. He could worry about everything else later.

The boy seemed to cool down a little, but not too much. He still looked a little worse for wear. The triangle sighed of relief. At least it wasn't that bad now. He quickly thought up a plan. He decided Greg would be the lesser of two evils, and so brought up an outline of a smart phone and inputted his number. He may or may not have watched the boy's finger motions...

Greg picked up immediately. "Who is this?" he asked, a confused tone in his voice.

"Uhm, it's Bill," the triangle put a hand on his bowtie. He was expecting some backlash or _something_. He _was_ evil, after all, and the two men Connie and Wendy no doubt told him about were supposed to have done him in.

"Bill?" he asked, dubious, not quite knowing who he was.

"Yeah, I'm that new roommate who called about a day or so ago?" his mind was swirling right now, and he adjusted his bowtie. He couldn't remember the exact day, but that wasn't important. Not right now. He shook himself, "Yeah, so, your.." and noticeably flinched and hesitated, _"son_.. seems to have come down with a fever and I managed to lessen it to a point, but he's still sick..." His brow furrowed with heavy concern.

"I'll come over immediately," Greg hopped in the van at that very moment, and hung up. Within fifteen minutes, he showed up at the Temple with chicken noodle soup, a thermometer and a bucket. The demon had let the outline slip away into oblivion, and waited. He contemplated hiding, but that would be cowardly, selfish and wrong. And not to mention it would confuse Greg. So he stayed by Steven's side, damn the consequences, and watched over him. The man knocked on the door, "Uh, hello? my hands are kinda full-"

Bill was shocked out of his thoughts then, looking towards the door. He then facepalmed, whispering, "Right..."

He got up, and headed for the door, opening it with magic. Now for the moment of truth. He was expecting a freakout. Any minute now. He'd been on the receiving end of them for almost the entire day and night. Why not this time? Greg stared for a moment, shocked. He dropped what he was carrying, and quickly went to scoop it up.

The demon sighed, and snapped his fingers. The soup was now replenished in a new bowl, and he was now carrying it, carefully. Couldn't scoop _that_ up safely, he realized. Yep. That was a freakout alright. But he didn't know whether it was because he was a triangle with an eye and limbs or because he was Bill Cipher. Regardless, Greg's presence was partially welcomed, if only because Steven was sick, and his eye narrowed neutrally, "So, Greg, we finally meet..."

He spared a quick glance upstairs, holding back a sigh.

"Thanks..." he looked Bill up and down, biting his lip, "uh, I didn't expect you to be..." he then shooed that away and instead asked, "How's Steven?"

The triangle ignored the comment, letting out that sigh, and replied, "See for yourself, kid."

He then floated up to the loft again, still carrying the bowl. He would never reveal it again, at least not now, but he was envious. The boy had such a wonderful relationship with his dad, and would have had with his mom too. They were just so.. _loving_...

He felt something wet underneath his eye just then, and quickly wiped it away. He didn't want Greg to worry over him too. Steven was more important. The middle-aged man followed, and approached his son. He put a hand to the boy's forehead, and shook his head, "You're burning up, kiddo..." he looked to Bill and smiled. "Thanks for the call, by the way."

"Eh, it's.. no problem," he smiled back despite himself. He then snapped his fingers and a table appeared beside the bed. He set the bowl down onto it. He hoped they could take care of it right here. He wasn't willing to face Connie's mom either. Greg put the bucket by the kid's bed, and stuck the thermometer in his mouth. He went downstairs, grabbed a rag, and ran it under cool water, before coming back up to put it to Steven's forehead. Bill blinked, looking at the thermometer. He wondered how high it would go. Hopefully not too high. He then sighed.

The man glanced at Bill, before he turned on the television. He seemed rather uncomfortable with the silence, but hat no idea how to fill it himself.

"He's.. gonna be okay, right?" the demon broke the semi-silence, still staring at the small instrument.

"Just a fever," Greg smiled, nodding.

"Of course..." he frowned softly. He'd almost forgotten, after all their adventure, that the boy was also half-human. He could get sick. He could... the thought froze his veins. But he shook it off, and smiled and rolled his eye with a laugh, "Yeah, he'll be fine.. pfft, why am I so worried?"

"You should take a break. i'll watch him, okay?" Greg offered, still smiling. He missed Steven, of course, and missed being alone with him. The demon didn't like this suggestion, but didn't show it much and didn't speak against it. He shouldn't see the boy like this. It broke his heart already. And being near Greg and having to pretend he was happy was nearly torturous. So he nodded, "Fine."

And then, with one last look at his friend, he ventured down the stairs, and out the door, onto the balcony, where he sat on the railing. He stared out into the distance, wondering a lot of things. His brow furrowed, and he sighed. It had been a few minutes, and the triangle kept staring, when he noticed something green in the distance. It was coming closer too, at a fast pace. He blinked, a little confused.

Peridot was sent on a task not a while ago. The twins had realized that they had forgotten about Ocean Town and their plans for it, and didn't feel like going back to tell Bill and the gang. And so they sent her. She was doing well at running on her own feet, having declined the limb enhancers, but admitted to herself that it would have been faster with them.

"Huh..?" Bill raised an eyebrow, and eventually the small Gem reached the stairs, but faceplanted into the sand. She got up, grumbling and brushing herself off, and looked up at him.

"Where's Connie and Steven?" she asked, hurriedly.

"The kid's sick and Connie went home," the demon replied, and she groaned.

"Well, I'll just tell _you_ then!" Peridot smirked a little. She had no idea what "sick" meant, but it wasn't important to her now. She could ask the twins what it was. She clenched her hands then, "Bring everyone you can to Ocean Town. They'd been suffering for a long time and we'd like to help. But we three can't do it on our own!"

The golden dream demon thought on this, and soon nodded, "As soon as Steven gets better..."

"Great! we'll be waiting there!" and then she took off, back towards the boat. Bill blinked, and sighed, looking down now.

The boy was still fast asleep, thermometer stuck in his partially open mouth. He had gone an unnatural pale, and had broken out into a cold sweat too. It almost seemed like he was dead if it wasn't for the ragged breathing. Greg pressed the cold, wet rag to his son's forehead again, sighing. He watched the boy carefully, glancing at the thermometer to check his temperature. Steven squirmed a little, mumbling something. He seemed to have been dreaming as well. His dad sighed, taking out the thermometer and setting it on the table. He trembled, before he gasped awake, eyes opening. The first thing he saw was darkness, and then it faded. He blinked weakly, blearily, as he could make out a familiar shape, "..D..Dad...?"

"Hey, Shtoo-ball," he smiled weakly at the kid.

For a while, he didn't smile back, but he soon did, much more weakly, "H...hey..."

"How ya feeling?" he touched the boy's hand.

"I feel awful.." he sniffled, and then coughed a little. His voice was hoarse. Unnatural for a kid like him. "But nice, for some reason..."

"It'll be alright, kiddo."

"Y..yeah.." he tried to sit up, and look around, but he found he was a little too weak to do that now.

"Is this alright?" he nodded towards the TV, which was playing an episode of Crying Breakfast Friends.

The boy smiled, "Yeah.. it's fine.. thank you." He then blinked, "Where's Bill?"

"He's taking a rest," Greg sighed. "Chicken noodle soup?" he asked, picking up the bowl and offering it. The boy nodded, smiling a little. But it was drenched in weak worry. He was worried about Malachite. He was worried about Pearl. Most importantly, he was worried about Bill. He wondered if he'd be able to fix things. He hoped he could.

Greg took a spoonful, and brought it near the kid's mouth. Steven willingly opened his mouth, ready to accept it. Greg smiled, "Here comes the airplane..." and then he tipped it into the Gem boy's mouth.

Steven gulped it down, and giggled and the "airplane" joke. He'd never get tired of that, no matter how old he got. It ended in a fit of coughing, though, but he was starting to feel warm inside nonetheless. And so it continued. Greg spoonfeeding his son the soup, just glad to be there for once. And the boy was glad he was there. It had been so long since he'd seen his dad anyway. He was still worried, but he pushed it all aside for this. He even felt just a little bit better. The day was idyllic, and restful for the boy, and hopefully for Bill too.

It wasn't, really. Bill figured he'd gotten enough "rest", and came back inside. He wiped away the tears from his eye, and sighed. Steven heard this and wanted to get up and help, squirming. Greg wouldn't let him, placing a gentle hand on his chest, "You're still too sick, Steven. Go to sleep, he'll still be here when you wake up..."

Despite himself, he yawned, eyelids drooping, "But I'm not tired..."

The demon chuckled at this, "I'll be fine, kid.."

He didn't know whether this was a lie though, as he sat on the couch staring at the wall, now with a more or less blank expression.

"You're sick, you're definitely tired. Now, please, get some sleep, kiddo," the dad ruffled through Steven's hair, smiling. The boy sighed, but smiled a little. And then yawned again. He drifted off without another word. And then there was silence. Time began to pass quickly, and Greg got out a book and started reading. The demon still sat on the couch, silently. Moping. He was wondering why his past had to turn out the way it did. Why his brother had to be sent away from him again. But then.. it always came down to one answer in his mind. Bad luck. Nolis. He sighed.

Greg glanced down at Bill, closed the book, and made his way down, "Hey.. you alright?"

Bill snapped out of his depression rather rapidly, and glanced at the man. He fixed the shocked expression into a neutral one, "I'm fine. Don't worry."

He didn't want this. This was exactly what he didn't want to happen. Why was the universe always against him?

"Alright," he frowned softly, "tell me if you need anything." He headed back up, and sat down, glancing at the book.

"Yeah, just focus on the kid," he inwardly sighed of relief. He got up and headed to the kitchen, fixing to make himself some hot chocolate.

Greg ran his fingers through Steven's hair, sighing. He whispered, as not to wake the boy up, "Whatcha making?"

"Hot chocolate," he replied a bit curtly. His patience was running thin. He wasn't sure how much of this he could take, but hopefully this mug would help. He had already begun preparing it.

"Ooh, could you make some for me too?" Greg's eyes had brightened giddily.

Bill paused for a few seconds, before he nodded, "Eh, of course."

He brought down another mug and began hand-brewing it, same with the other. Greg fell silent, picking up the book and going back to reading. And in this silence, the sounds of stirring and the television took dominance. The demon finished, and then served up the mugs, floating upstairs to deliver. Greg took his and sipped, "Thanks, Bill."

"You're welcome, kid," the demon then retreated to the bedside, and sat down, sipping at his too. It barely worked. He was beginning to have his doubts that it ever would. How could he be happy when poor Steven was sick and when the reminder of what he could and should have had was sitting right across from him?

Greg glanced at him, "You sure you're okay, buddy?"

Bill nodded, staring at the sleeping kid now. Whenever he was close to crying, he'd bury himself in his beverage. He wasn't going to admit anything, wasn't going to show anything. It was for the best.

"Oh... you're worried about Steven, right? don't worry, he'll be fine," he sighed, and then put on another smile. "He's already getting better!"

"That's great!" the triangle suddenly grinned. And it faded just as quickly as it came. He was worried about other things too. _Thinking_ about other things. He almost wished he had never washed up here. At least then he wouldn't have had to face this and the Axolotl would have had to find something else. Greg hardly paid attention though, now, focusing mainly on his book, and on his boy too. Bill sighed and resumed drinking the hot chocolate. It didn't really taste sweet. Which was weird. He added marshmallows. Maybe it was his tears. He wasn't sure.

Greg soon fell asleep, in the peaceful bliss of Steven's sickness and the warmth of the hot chocolate. The demon glanced at the two, and then at Greg's unfinished hot chocolate. He frowned, and sighed again. He got up. Maybe an actual walk would do him some good. But the man was asleep, and so no one would be watching Steven. The demon groaned, and so he sat down again, taking another sip. He wondered when he'd be free of this torment...

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaand here we go. Poor, poor Bill is going through a hell of a lot, huh?  
Anyway, I was Bill, Pearl, Peridot and Steven (while Greg was there), and Ace was Greg and the Void and Steven. :3  
Hope ya enjoyed!

P.S.: We only have about two or so chapters I'm estimating before this story has to go on a hiatus again. We need to continue roleplaying it and we hadn't gotten to do that in several months. So, that's that...


	67. A Split Person

**A/N:** Welcome back, boys and girls, ladies and gents, to the second to last chapter that'll be presented for a while. After the next one, we'll have to go on another, hopefully short, hiatus, because we hadn't RP'd the rest yet. I have someone or two people to thank for faving and liking this story, one of whom reviewed this, but I don't have my phone, so I can't check my emails to get the names and I want to be able to get this chapter rolling right now since I slept in for too long. ^^; Just know that they're very appreciated. :3

Anywhoo, there's a anon review! let's see...

/Guest (EMObillcipher89): Woah, now, don't blame the Axolotl for people's wrongdoings. And, while I agree with you in that people should stop treating him like shit and that bad guys deserve love, they, the present people, have a good reason to as well. Just be grateful that Greg, the only person who showed up in the last chapter other than Steven, treated him like a person, and maybe even his own son. But Bill has problems. So, yeah, Pearl definitely has problems, that was obvious in canon. xD But there was the whole entire truth in that little electronic booklet she found...  
Oh no, ebola? :0 ((He doesn't, but glad to know you're being dramatic. xD)  
Yep, he does. Poor Bill.  
Yah, Malachite was definitely sent to "China", the other side of the world lol, and Gabe.. heh.. funny you mention them because this chapter...  
Yeah, and Peridot is a real happy sailor. Definitely better than Homeworld, and she'll say it too. She probably already had. xD  
Well, Bill won't kill himself no matter how much he wants to now because of what he promised Steven, so no worries. That's pretty much the only thing keeping him from killing himself. Steven is, like Connie said, a magical person. :3  
Aww, I love the rambling, but that's fine. We need to have room for the actual chapter after all, which is kinda short, sadly, but I can assure you the next one will be longer. And that sucks about your parents. I wonder when they'll give you the right to access it again. And I wonder what happened anyway... but yeah, at least you can still read and review. :3  
Oh, and could you have FantasyFan223 read and review this? I bet he or she'll love it! xD

Okay, so, with that said, here's the next chapter! enjoy!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Sixty-Seven: Split Person**

Somewhere on the other side of the world, it was quiet. And undisturbed. Right off the bat one could tell barely anything happened here. And then Gabe popped into existence on a sandy beach. He hugged his legs. The first thought that came to mind was finding Bill. He realized, without omniscience, that would be close to impossible. Better let his brother come to him. It was a big world, after all. But then he saw something in the distance, in the water. A human? It seemed so far away though…

The "person" seemed to be arguing with herself, splashing the water multiple times in anger. Gabe got up, and approached. "Um, hi… who are you?" he asked, staring at the figure, who now seemed enormous, and definitely not human, the closer he got.

She whipped around, eyes narrowed but brows raised. He noticed he looked similar to Bill and growled. He was the one who did this to them. They, _she_ , had no idea where they were. And however similar this star was to Bill, he wasn't it. She decided to answer, "None of your business."

The star didn't seem to hear this, or ignored it, and went on to introduce himself, "I'm Gabe… uh, do you know where my brother is? he looks like me, but shorter, and yellow, and a triangle…" Gabe scratched his top point.

And then she suddenly screamed at him, wild hair billowing with the force. She thrashed in the water again, undergoing a deadly temper tantrum powered by hatred and revenge. It was poison, but she didn't care. Lapis may have, but Jasper didn't.

"Woah, woah, woah," Gabe clapped his hands, eye widening, freezing her in place. "Time out, please, calm down. What's wrong with you?"

Malachite growled, "Bill did this to us.. sent us away! sent _me_ away!" it was becoming individualistic. Slowly sapping their personalities away. Soon, there wouldn't even be a "we" left.

"Us?" Gabe thought she meant herself and the star, shakily putting a hand against where his mouth would be. He was gravely mistaken, but he couldn't shake the thought… did Bill want to lose his brother? is that why he was allowed to take the bullet? he felt sick at the mere idea. Had his sacrifice just been a way for Bill to kill two birds with one stone? his concentration shifted, allowing the fusion to move again.

And then she began trying to split apart again, obviously Lapis's doing. But it was a huge struggle. There was yelling, screaming, and metaphorical kicking as Jasper held onto keeping this fusion together, no matter what it was doing to them. She managed one word, " _Me_ ," but it was both clear and strangled in an odd sort of way.

Gabe didn't understand what was happening. But the thought didn't leave his head. Had Bill just used him? had the triangle changed at all, since the Burning Day? he shook himself, frowning, "Hey… do you know where he is?" the star wanted answers. If he didn't get them, he knew he'd start believing in these things.

The fusion then brought herself back together, seamlessly, and smiled, having thought of a plan. Gabe was just like Bill, wasn't he? she then frowned again, as she explained in a guttural growl, "He's with Rose Quartz… _Steven…_ "

"Oh, yeah, the kid… well, that's just perfect," Gay smiled, remembering the little peephole on Steven's shirt. He closed his eye, using it to see. But it was covered, with the blanket of his bed. Gabriel growled, and opened his eye, "Welp, that's a dead end." Of course, he could teleport, but he didn't want to leave this… _thing_ here.

"Aren't there.. _other_ stars?" Malachite caught onto this. She wanted to know exactly what was going on now. Was it the right time for her to strike? for _them_? she would not fail Yellow Diamond. She was going to bring back _someone_ , or a Gem. And she preferred Bill. Or she would die trying. Lapis protested, trying to split them apart again, and _almost_ succeeded. But there was no luck. The bright light around them faded as soon as it began.

"Stars just aren't as common as triangles and squares," Gabe shrugged, closing his eye again. "But I'll keep looking…" he found another one. The one on the Temple Gate. He could see no one, unfortunately, as they were all up in the attic, out of sight. "Looks like they aren't home, uh… what's your name again?" he glanced at her, having opened his eye.

She growled, at this failure, but even though she moped, she was still thinking. Still planning. They weren't home. She'd have to strike another time. Soon, she answered him, "Malachite. It's Malachite."

One of her components—guess who?—fought again, but the other quickly silenced it. They were indeed Malachite. No more Lapis. No more Jasper. But Lapis was _terrified_.

"Malachite," he pronounced, and then nodded, "well, I think we can get over there through the ocean, since I'm still too weak from the trip here to do any international teleportation." He sighed. Regardless of what he thought he could do before. But he wasn't thinking to take Malachite with him then.

"As long as we get there," she gruffly responded, and looked around once more. There was nothing here but water and a beach. Again. She growled, and a question popped into her head. She asked, "How did you get here?"

"Uh.." Gabriel was caught off guard, and scratched his top point, "that's a good question. I guess I wound up in the Void again, and it.. spit me out? like last time? honestly, I have no clue. I was there, and now I'm here…" he shook himself softly, shrugging. "Anyway, we should get moving. We have an entire world to cross." He smiled grimly, knowing it would be a long journey.

Malachite nodded, and began to part the waves. The ocean floor was soon revealed, and she began walking along the path. If they could find a Warp Pad along the way, that would be great. But Jasper wouldn't be willing to let them split up long enough to use it…

Gay followed, obediently, floating around her shoulder. He was still trying to figure out what exactly she was, if she wasn't human. As they were now, the star was able to see her back. There was a gem on it, a teardrop. She grinned just a little bit, exposing her sharp teeth. Wading through the water would have been much slower, even with her power. This was smart. Gabe touched it gently, wondering if she'd be able to feel it. And she could indeed, and stopped, looking back and glaring with all four eyes, "What are you doing?"

"Oh!" he brought his hand away," sorry, I just.. it's pretty," and looked down, frowning. "I think… I think the kid had one too, on his… navel," Gabe would have bitten his lip.

"That he did," the fusion nodded, resuming her steps. "A rose quartz."

She didn't even thank him. But Lapis would have. The giant woman showed signs of breaking apart again. The pink star nodded, twiddling his thumbs, "So.. you're not exactly human, are you? and neither is he…"

"I don't even _look_ human," she growled, forcing herself back together again. It would always disorient them. _Her_. Maybe she could still be saved. _They._

Compared to me? yeah, you do…" he took a deep breath. "So, if you're not human, what are you?"

"I'm a Gem," every single word was a growl. And this got forced out, "A _fusion_!"

She didn't seem willing to admit she was one. Yet another deadly sign.

"A fusion…?" Gabe frowned, thinking it over.

"Yes!" she then just let him think about it. _They_ let him think about it. She just focused on walking. They were about a mile away from the beach now, with her giant steps. Gay looked up. The ocean towered above them. They were a long way down, and he found himself getting a little nervous. But Malachite wasn't worried. Even with her almost splitting apart at times, she was still strong enough and concentrated enough to hold it up. And if they did break apart, Lapis would pick up the slack. If she didn't immediately fly off.

The star wasn't too worried either. He knew he could teleport up and away if need be. That is… if the water didn't confuse him. The thought overwhelmed him then. He could get lost in this water…

The stomps of her steps echoed throughout, and the fish, of almost every species indigenous to this area, could be seen through the water's "glass". Even like this, Lapis still preserved the wildlife, just like she did before. Gabe then perched upon and sat on the fusion's shoulder, getting tired of floating along. He hoped she wouldn't object. And she didn't, focused on getting to her destination. Beach City. She was ready to finish what she started…

* * *

 **A/N:** Aaaand there ya have it! looks like Gabe's sacrifice wasn't permanent.. heheh. So, Ace had Gabriel, and I had Malachite. Things have most certainly changed...  
Hope you enjoyed!


	68. I See Now

**A/N:** Oi, I meant to have this here yesterday, but I got sucked into Pony Town and stuff. Anyway, I just finished converting this chapter, so.. yeah. It's hot off the press. xD I'd also like to thank NektannNeightyFour for favoriting this story! and also tanithlipsky for favoriting and following this and reviewing a week ago. Now I finally got the chance to thank them properly. :3  
Also, keep in mind, this will be the last chapter for a while, so savor it. :3

With that said, READ ON!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars  
Chapter Sixty-Eight: I See Now…**

Back at the Temple, everything seemed peaceful now, with Steven fast asleep. All of a sudden, Greg woke up and set about checking his son, holding a hand close to his forehead. He was relieved to find that the boy's temperature had once again gone down. Bill had stayed up, however, all that time, certainly not peaceful. His eye looked bloodshot, almost like he'd been crying. And he had been. He fell to the temptation, taken the chance to weep his feelings out while no one was looking. His cup was floating beside him, empty. Greg chanced a glance towards the demon, and stood up immediately, reaching for him, "Woah, are you okay?"

The demon blinked, eye widening for a second, and lied once more, "Yes. I'm fine. I'm just.. tired, I guess?" He shrugged, sounding a little weak too. He didn't think this would actually work though. Greg probably knew the difference between tiredness and tears. And he did, but sighed and sat back down, not pushing the subject.

Silence passed once again. It lasted several minutes. Until… "You're just so perfect…" the demon mumbled, rubbing at his eye. It just came out, and he didn't even realize it until it was too late. Maybe not even then. And it was probably too low for the man to hear.

Greg did hear it though, and his face scrunched up. "Uh… I don't swing that way, Bill…" he rather wished he was somewhere else, fidgeting.

"No.. not like that.." his brow furrowed, with more or less disgust and discomfort. The demon sighed. Of course, it'd be taken that way. Of course. But he wasn't talking about that anyway. He wasn't even interested. Nor would he ever be.

"Tell me what you mean. You've got something on your mind, something eating at you, don't you?" the middle-aged man looked at him affectionately. He seemed as much as a kid as the boy, to the rockstar.

The demon glanced at Greg, and his insides twisted. His parents never ever looked at him like that, and it once again killed him. The words then suddenly began spilling out, like the tears had, "This kid is lucky to have you. He's lucky." And then more tears came, and he choked on his next words, "You're just the perfect parent…"

He regretted it the moment he said it all, getting up and moving away as the mug crashed onto the floor. He felt like he was intruding. Steven was far more important than he. Greg shouldn't be worrying about him. He shouldn't be. He had his own son. The tears started coming even faster.

"Hey, hey, it's okay…" the man furrowed his brow softly, "I mean, jeez, nobody's perfect. I've… I've messed up with Steven before." He was smiling though, liking the compliments, but wondering why he was crying.

Bill sniffled, and wiped away the tears, growling at himself for breaking down like that. He shook himself then, "I.. forget it. Okay?"

He then hugged himself, hovering in the area. Greg shouldn't ever know. But he considered him a perfect parent. Especially compared to the ones he had. The demon mentally slapped himself, _Stop thinking about them, Bill. They don't deserve it. They're nothing but shit underneath your feet…"_

This hardly worked, but he pretended it did. But his eye was still bloodshot. It looked pretty bad, especially with that permanent dark circle. Greg didn't know how to approach this, but Steven sputtered, and coughed awake. He looked pale and sickly still, but he was able to sit up without too much trouble. The man immediately turned to him, a little worried but still smiling, "You okay, lil' buddy?"

Steven nodded, kinda smiling, but then glanced at Bill and frowned. He knew they needed to talk. Bill saw the look in Steven's eye, and nodded. He would appreciate it. He took deep breaths, even though he didn't need to, to help calm himself down further. At the same time, he hated depending on the boy. Why couldn't he just handle this himself?

"Well…" Greg looked at the two, standing up, "it looks like you two have something to talk about. I should go, anyway. You gonna be able to handle him from here, Bill?" the man glanced at the triangle, biting his lip.

He nodded, smiling a little, "Yeah. Thanks…"

The gratitude was partially genuine. He truly did help. Even if it nearly killed his well-being, at least Steven was doing better. He was beginning to understand that this was what empathy, at least _Steven's_ empathy, was really like.

Greg nodded. "Well, don't hesitate to call again, if things get hairy." He smiled. "See ya, kiddo," And he headed out, waving.

Steven waved after him, weakly, "Bye…"

Bill waved too, and sighed. A weight had sorta been lifted off him just now. But he still felt horrible. He growled inwardly. Stupid emotions…

"So…?" Steven glanced at Bill, unknowingly breaking through his thoughts. "What's going on?"

The demon sighed, deciding to open up, "Greg.. he kept reminding me of what I didn't have.. _should've_ had…" He clutched at his bowtie, with both hands, "I probably shouldn't feel that way.. but I do.. I can't seem to help it…" He blinked away the incoming tears. He'd broken down enough already.

"He didn't mean to, did he?" the boy held out his arms, too weak to stand up and hug him.

"Of course he didn't," he floated over and hugged the boy. He didn't need to worry about catching the fever. Or did he? he seemed more human than demons these days… he sighed, "It was just his presence.. how he treats you.. it's.."

He couldn't finish, choking again.

"This isn't about your parents, is it?" Steven asked, raising an eyebrow. A smidge of annoyance snuck into his tone, which Bill felt, and so he squirmed away.

His eye twitched, and he nodded, "Yeah.. it's about them again.."

He mumbled something then, probably a swear. When would they leave him alone? even in death they were probably laughing at him and his inability to deal. He wished he could kill them again.

Steven frowned a little, "Why can't you just forget? you're on Earth now—a whole new dimension. Bill.." he gently tapped the demon's hand, "this is a fresh start…"

"I know… I know.." the triangle sighed, "but it's hard.. it's hard to forget abuse.. hard to move on…" he looked at the portrait of Rose Quartz, very nearly crying again. "I'm trying.. honestly.. but it's so hard.. if I had a memory gun, I could just do that instead…" But he knew this wouldn't ever happen. To his knowledge, the memory gun used to destroy him was also destroyed. And he didn't know what it might do to him, to forget. Maybe he'd even get his childhood personality back. Or it could send him back into psychopathy. He wasn't sure at all.

"Bill…" the boy's eyes widened a little, and slightly regretted the tone he'd taken, and shook his head, sighing, "I hate seeing you like this. You should make yourself a cup of hot chocolate…"

He sniffled, "I did that while he was here…" he looked at the shattered mug on the floor, and at the unfinished mug Greg left behind. He snapped his fingers, cleaning up the mess, and then looked at the boy again.

"Oh.." Steven then began thinking a little, before he brightened up, "oh, have you had ice cream before?"

He had to think on this, furrowing his brow a bit, and after a while sighed, "Looooong time ago."

"I think there's some in the freezer. Help yourself," he smiled, gesturing slightly to it.

"Thanks, kid," he smiled, and made his way down to the kitchen. His realm didn't really have ice cream. It was more like a flavored cream. But this dimension's dessert was probably the same.. right? he was comparing them, mentally. Steven watched, and stood up, shaking, using the bed to balance himself. He looked like a simple gust of wind would send him to the ground. The demon reached the fridge and opened the freezer, grabbing the tub of ice cream. It was French vanilla. He hummed, and opened it, inspecting it. It looked very similar. He was so into this he didn't notice the kid trying to stand up. Steven wobbled, and took a step. He just about fell on his face, tripping on his own feet. He caught himself, with his hands, but scraped them. He would find it much harder to stand up from the floor as opposed to his bed.

Bill heard this, and immediately turned around. He gasped, "Steven!" and teleported to his side, helping him up as he made the tub of ice cream float beside him, "you're still too weak."

The boy sighed. "I know… I don't want to stay down though…" he then thought of an idea, "can I borrow your can?" He recalled the thing, possibly because of the sickness.

"Oh, sure," the demon smiled, summoning it into existence. He stared at it, and shuddered, remembering every single bad memory of his psychopathic days. He then handed it off, frowning a little, "I don't use it anymore anyway."

Steven took it. It was lighter than he expected, almost like a feather, but strong too. He smiled then, standing up on it, "Thanks, Bill…"

"You're welcome," that grin came back and got even wider, and he grabbed the tub of ice cream, sat on the bed, snapped a more or less giant spoon into existence and began scooping and eating. It was extremely chill, unlike how his dimension did it, but it was also extremely good. He hummed with delight. It was working.

"It's working, isn't it? Ice cream always helps me," Steven smiled, and lay back on the bed, setting the cane against the bedframe. Maybe it would do him better to rest a while longer.

"Mhm, it's delicious too," he stopped to look at the boy, smiling. "It's not like the ice cream back home.. which when I think about it now was more like a flavored cream…" he looked at the ceiling, rubbing at his "chin" as he pondered over this.

"Huh. You think you could make some?" Steven's eyes sparkled. He wanted some.

"Probably," he continued pondering, brow furrowed. "I'll have to make due on some ingredients because some can't be found here. Magic just doesn't do it justice…" He got off the bed, continuing to eat now. He thought it was nice that he was able to talk about this without breaking down. Then again, it _was_ his favorite treat.

"Hmm," the boy considered this, and nodded. "Well, it can always wait. You good now?"

He nodded, but at the same time wanted to make it now. He knew the substitutes for the ingredients that had gotten destroyed along with the entire dimension. He sighed, but smiled, "Yeah, I'm good. Thanks.."

Silence then hung over them, but it didn't last for long. Steven broke it, sounding a little in pain, "What should we do?"

"Well, I'm not really sure," the demon admitted. But something came to him soon enough. He smiled, and began humming something.

Steven tilted his head a little, frowning softly. "That's… familiar. What is that?"

"It's that song you sung to me about empathy," he stopped humming for a moment, and then started again, his smile widening.

The boy thought on it again, and chuckled abashedly, "Can you sing it to me? I'm afraid I lost the words…"

The demon nodded, and took a deep breath. And then he began in a soft, gentle voice, swaying to the beat, "When I make someone happy, it makes my spirits oh so tappy. Do I see now? well, I do see now…" he was changing it up, however. Because he _did_ see. He actually understood the concept. And he was proud of himself. Steven hum along, smiling softly. It was beginning to come back to him.

"When I see that someone's sad, yeah, it does make me feel bad.." he continued to sing, closing his eye, "do I see now? yeah, I do see now."

The boy hugged Bill, still humming. He wanted to break out his ukulele, but decided this was fine, but his eyelids were becoming droopier still. The demon hugged him back, swaying still, "I'll reach out, with compassion, to those hurtin', no more lashin', cause pain only makes it worse," he hit the high note perfectly here, and brought his voice down again, "and it'll only badly reimburse.. do I see now? yes, I do see now."

And Steven was fast asleep. It was like a lullaby, and the kid was still really sick. The demon opened his eye, and looked at the boy. He chuckled, and stopped singing, ruffling his hair. He returned to the tub of ice cream then, and turned his attention to the television, which was still turned on, but muted. He unmuted it then.

And so gentle, nice time passed; it was pure bliss, for both of them—a break, and it was just what they needed too, especially after Malachite. Peace and quiet, throughout the night. Pearl didn't come back out though, not even to check on Steven. She knew Bill was still out there, and would probably be _staying_. She couldn't handle that.

But Garnet could. Her stones on the door glowed, before it opened, and she stepped out. She looked up at the loft, and smiled upon seeing the absolutely sweet scene of Steven having curled up against the demon. Bill looked down at her, and she tossed him a thumbs up.

And, with no hesitation, he smiled.

* * *

 **A/N:** And we reach the high, red levels of heartwarming once more. :3 It doesn't feel like a cliffhanger, but the story is still not finished. Or maybe it is, and I could put whatever occurs after this as a new story. Not sure. I'll have to discuss it with my partner. But maybe it'll be better if I just keep it all here. xD  
So, the song from Chapter Thirty, or, um, Thirty-Two - forgot which - makes a comeback, but in a different way. Also, Ace had Steven and Greg, and I had Bill, Pearl and Garnet. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that. I really do. It's a perfect ending, in my opinion, especially since Christmas is less than three days away and a happy note is what we all need. :3

Speaking of that, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, and since we probably won't have a new chapter by New Years, Happy New Year as well! let's see what 2018 will bring and I'll try to fix the earlier chapters in the meantime. :3 3


	69. (SPOILERS) Author's Note and Index

**Author's Note and Index (SPOILERS)**

Sorry that this isn't a real chapter. I know how much you've all been waiting for one. But thing is, my roleplay partner has sadly lost interest for an indefinite amount of time. So I'm taking the time to inform you that I will try and work on this story myself, until hopefully the time comes that she would like to come back and work on this again. I've got a good lead on how this is going to go, and it left off on a good paragraph or two so I can probably just pick it up from there. But I'm not sure when. I'll do it, but it's gonna take some time, seeing as though I have to reread and all. With that said, I'll answer a review, and then I'll put up the index for people who want to re-read certain chapters through this large arc they loved and all. It doesn't have the titles of each on mobile, so... yeah. I don't usually do this since my stories aren't usually so large, but for this one? well, an index is needed.

/Emma: I'm really super duper glad you loved this story so much. I love it too, and the dynamic between Steven and Bill was just fantastic.. we really did good. And yeah, Steven getting poofed was Ace's idea. We saw the potential and rolled with it. We know he probably won't just be poofed, but eh, we don't know, so... yeah. Thank you so much! :3

Also, special news. Miss Dorito is working on the song "Do You See Now?" and she's gonna work on fanart and such and I'm so stoked about it! anyway, I'll stop talking now, and leave you to the index.

* * *

1\. The Fateful Meeting  
2\. Monstrous Unreality  
3\. The Project  
4\. A Glimpse Underneath the Mask  
5\. The Picnic  
6\. The School  
7\. Second Chances and Hope  
8\. Rage  
9\. Meeting Connie  
10\. Marco Polo Gone Wrong  
11\. Dinner Time  
12\. The Decision  
13\. The Mission  
14\. Trouble at the School  
15\. Welcome to the Mindscape  
16\. Geven  
17\. Dealing with Demons and Failing Trust  
18\. Gem Troubles  
19\. A Spanner in the Works  
20\. The Power of Steven  
21\. Teleportation Time  
22\. The School's Witness Account  
23\. Remembrance and A Tale Untold  
24\. The Displaced Anomaly I  
25\. The Displaced Anomaly II  
26\. Planning  
27\. Beware of Falling Boulders  
28\. Dealing with a Traitor  
29\. The Final Confrontation  
30\. The Tragic Keepsake  
31\. The Book  
32\. That Elusive E Word  
33\. Pink Within Black  
34\. Shame  
35\. A Mere Fragment  
36\. Everything Is Different Now...  
37\. The Discovery  
38\. The Terrible Shortcut  
39\. The Impossible Dream  
40\. Trapped  
41\. Trouble at Sea  
42\. Discorded  
43\. The Signal  
44\. One of the Worst is Over  
45\. Trouble is Coming  
46\. Building Up Trust  
47\. The Interior Camping Sleepover  
48\. Unearthed Secrets, Buried Crimes  
49\. A Cursed Earth?  
50\. The Failing Steps  
51\. The Calm Before The Real Storm  
52\. The Fated Arrival  
53\. Directions to the Showdown  
54\. Facing Fears and Reality  
55\. Into the Fire  
56\. Thirty Minutes of Fun  
57\. The Chase  
58\. A Recount of Reformation  
59\. So Close, Yet So Far  
60\. The Rescue Attempt  
61\. The Warning  
62\. Treatment  
63\. Stronger Than You  
64\. Act of Desperation  
65\. A Haunting Reprieve  
66\. Ill  
67\. Split Person  
68\. I See Now

* * *

And that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed this story. But there's more to come someday. I promise. And if you'd like, to tide you over, you can check out my other recent stories, such as _The Unexpected_ , a Gumball x SU crossover, _Tale of William Nolis_ , the prequel to Gravity Falls and this story, and _The Tale of Whisp Black_ , a Chalkzone fanfic. Happy Valentine's Day!


	70. Bad Blood

**A/N:** Finally, I managed to finish the Chapter. It took me a bit, but a random idea hit me and it was to continue this, so, here ya go!

* * *

 **A Triangle in the Stars**  
 **Chapter Sixty-Nine: Bad Blood**

The night had melted into morning. The day had seemed so long, as did all the rest since Bill washed up here. But it was finally Wednesday. Said demon had fallen asleep, holding the empty tub of ice cream in one hand and Steven in the other, since the boy hadn't let go of him and he didn't feel like disturbing his sleep.

It rolled into ten in the morning, the sun hanging in the sky over the town. And since it was a school day, and the inspectors and principal deemed it safe to open again, students and staff had returned to their regular scheduled programming. Some, however, were traumatized and physically scarred, and the rest knew better than to tease them for it.

Steven soon woke up, eyes fluttering open. He felt rather unsickly, so he smiled. Rest had done the trick. He glanced at Bill, and at the empty tub, and carefully took it from him, as not to wake him. Bill kept snoozing, and brought his now empty hand to his "chest", making very little movements. Steven threw the tub in the trash, and grabbed a bowl. Cereal, for breakfast, he decided.

The demon remained motionless as he still slept, for he didn't need to breathe at all. He subconsciously grabbed for the stuffed animal and began cuddling it. All the while, Steven ate quietly. He idly wondered where Malachite was, and if he'd ever see her again. And if he'd see Lapis...

He soon sighed, wondering why disaster followed him.

If Bill was awake, and felt this, he'd know the answer. He felt like most everything was all his fault anyway. His on-and-off again depression didn't help either. So Steven took to thinking about things. He stepped outside, taking a deep breath of the ocean air. He decided to go sit in the water for a while, and think about life, the universe, and everything. The day was beautiful so far, and warm too. It truly did feel like spring. It didn't even seem like it rained yesterday too, as almost all evidence of it was gone.

The boy went and sat in the water, admiring it, but also ignoring it, to focus on his philosophical thoughts. A warm breeze, smelling like strawberries, floated on through, making the atmosphere that much calmer. Steven lay back, and quickly, unintentionally slipped into sleep, what with the nice smells and sounds, and the soft warmth of the sun, complemented by the wind.

The demon, still, was asleep, dreaming peacefully. His leg twitched every so often. The Temple Gate soon opened, revealing Amethyst and Keyhole, who smiled at her. "And that's the entire Temple!" she said loudly, grinning.

"Th..thanks, Amethyst," he mumbled a little, the smile growing at her enthusiasm. But it would soon fade, for he felt something even bigger than himself. The triangular demon kept sleeping, in too deep to even be stirred, holding the sad bunny tightly. His dream was a happy one, and _damn_ did he need happy dreams. This one in particular was about the townsfolk, and they had accepted him and trusted him. Naturally, this made him feel nice.

"So, about that Temple.. what a trip, huh?" Amethyst frowned a bit, throwing up her hands behind her back.

"Y..yeah, a trip indeed," he grew ever uneasier. He had felt something very familiar in this room. Tainted, but familiar.

"Who knew that the Gems actually built such a place, and a portal too!" the purple Quartz blinked, turning to Keyhole with absolute gravity and curiosity, "Say, where do you think it went? you acted kinda weird back there."

The blue demon stiffened, sweat beginning to trickle down from his forehead, before he shook his head, "I.. I have no idea.. sorry.."

Amethyst simply stared with a frown on those naturally puckered lips, and sighed, "I know you're lying. But I'm gonna go check on Steven. He seemed down even when we came back."

Keyhole could only nod, and the small Gem began walking upstairs, shouting, "YO, STEVEN!"

This was enough to wake Bill up, and he snorted out of surprise, looking around and dropping the sad bunny. He sighed with disappointment when the dream turned out not to be real. But he would soon have bigger problems on his hands.

"Hey, Steven, are you okayyy... hey, you're not Steven," the Quartz raised an eyebrow at the sight. Keyhole jumped, yellow eyes rolling about.

"Of course I'm not Steven.." a sleepy, slightly aggravated, but familiar voice shocked the demon even more. _Bill! Bill is here?!_ was all he could manage thinking. The voice continued, as Bill rubbed at his eye, getting all the sleepiness out, "What's up?"

"Steven's missing!" Amethyst jumped straight to the point, frowning softly, and Bill scrambled out of bed then. He only just now realized that Steven wasn't beside him like he'd been before.

"What?! but he was.. he was right here!"

"Well, he's not here now!"

Keyhole was meanwhile focused on finding someplace to hide, sneaking around the kitchen and looking at the same cabinet in which Bill had hidden a few days ago. He was too late though, as he felt an eye on him now, the conversation having stopped cold.

"Y...you..." the demon coldly glared at the other, shuddering a little. But that was all he did, Keyhole cowering under his gaze. It seemed all that learning paid off, but Bill was actually starting to regret it. Keyhole wasn't punished enough.

But good ol' Amethyst butted in, eyes wide, "Woah, you guys know each other? seems like bad blood though.."

"You bet it's bad blood," the triangle clenched a hand, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. Amethyst stared at the two, but couldn't seem to get the connection with all the statues she'd seen and the warning about the "One-Eyed One". It seemed she'd forgotten almost all about the place.

"I'm sorry," Keyhole fell to his knees with all the tension surrounding him. Bill merely scowled at him, crossing his arms. He was responsible for nearly ruining Steven's life, and he wasn't ready to forgive him yet.

"Sorry isn't quite good enough," was the only reply.

Amethyst coughed slightly, and Bill soon remembered, uncrossing his arms, "Right. Steven.." and then scoffed at the blue demon, "We'll continue this later."

He then floated down to the lower level, avoiding Keyhole's frightened gaze, and to the door. Amethyst had explained how they had taken a tour of the Temple and they hadn't seen Steven anywhere, so the next step was outside. Bill only remarked how that seemed like a bad idea, but the Quartz shook her head, "He was actually pretty good back there, helping us."

"Really now?" the demon tilted himself, adjusting his bowtie. His mind wasn't going to change so soon, but it pivoted only slightly.

"Yeah, he was pretty cool," a smile played on her lips, as they walked down the stairs. Bill wearily and almost guiltily glanced back at the beach house, now having some second thoughts. But he was right to behave this way, wasn't he..?

* * *

 **A/N:** And there! half of this chapter was between me and Ace, but for the latter half I had to leg it on my own. Ace had Steven and Amethyst and Keyhole for a bit, and I had Bill, and, as I said, later I had to take care of this myself, and you can probably see the switch. I'm sure you'll all be happy to see this. Next chapter will come hopefully next week, since there's Spring Break and all. And oh, look, it's Wednesday, m'dudes. You get this a day early!

So, I'll see you hopefully later. :3  
Be sure to leave a review or a fav!


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